Devotions

[Lost Soul]

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Lies We Like
September 6, 2023
by Lauren McAfee

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Matthew 7:24 (ESV)

Over the past several years, God has been leading me on a journey to discover one giant misconception that has given way to fear and panic attacks in my life.  Here’s what I’ve come to find: There are lies I have liked to believe as truth. Yet deep down, I know that clinging to a warped sense of reality will only bring me pain in the long run.  One lie I’ve liked to believe is tied up in my own sense of control over my life because life often feels most bearable when I think I have full control.  When Jesus taught His famous Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 7, He closed with this analogy: You can choose to build your house on the rock or on the sand. “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matthew 7:24).

I’m a girl who loves a good beach vacation. I know almost nothing about construction, but when I get the chance to spend a day on the beach playing in the sand with my daughter, it is easy to see why sand makes a poor foundation for a home. Sand is nothing but rock fragments. The grains are easily moved by the waves or even a slight breeze.  When I convince myself that because I am putting forth effort, God is going to reward me with all my dreams coming true, I am choosing to build my life on sand. But when I build my life on Jesus, my life has a firm foundation.  This teaching is about much more than my temptation to build my life on a false understanding of God; it identifies a false gospel I want to believe, one where I work to secure my own salvation and put God in my debt. The truth is that if I truly bring nothing to my relationship with God, then there is no limit to what He can require of me. I have no leverage over God. Rather, I must surrender wholly to Him. And in doing so, I find the peace I once sought in my own efforts to control my life.  Pastor Timothy Keller’s teaching on this passage warns against my religious attempts:  “The Sermon on the Mount is not a ladder. It’s not a way to climb up to God by doing certain things. It says there are two ways. One way is to say, ‘Out of my goodness I will seek to get God and other people to give me what I want in my inner emptiness; that is, a feeling of approval or worth.’ Or you can say, ‘I’m going to build my whole life and my approach to God on what Jesus has done for me.’ Be your own savior or let Him be your savior.”

The uncomfortable reckoning in my own life is a constant realization that I am not as in control of things as I would like to believe. My efforts to be in control are an effort to replace reliance on God. I don’t have control over whether or not I have children, whether or not my body faces infertility, or how people respond to me on social media. I also do not have control over when God’s presence feels near.  But I can control whether or not I put myself in a place to be near God. I can control whether or not I choose to be involved in my community at my local church. I can control whether or not I prioritize Bible study, reflection and prayer.  When life is challenging, I am often tempted to doubt who God is. I constantly need to remind myself of the character of God and recall that He always does the best thing. Romans 8:28 guarantees it. I don’t always feel like having faith, but as Charles Spurgeon says, “God is too good to be unkind, and He is too wise to be mistaken. And when we cannot trace His hand, we must trust His heart.”

May we trust His heart as our firm foundation today and every day.

[PippaJane]

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'Tis So Sweet To Trust in Jesus
September 12, 2023
by Ruth Chou Simons

“And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.” Psalm 9:10 (ESV)

The older I get, the more I’m convinced that true trust is almost rarer than love.  We can say the words “I love you” to a friend or our spouse, but we struggle to live the words “I trust you” due to our pride and self-sufficiency.

It’s easier to profess feelings of adoration than it is to be unguarded in a relationship. It’s easy to enjoy companionship but hard not to worry about that same companion leaving us, betraying us, or going back on his or her word.  Some of us have known the sting of choosing to be vulnerable only to experience a break of trust. Some of us have grown thick-skinned along the way, and now we enter relationships with one eye on the exit, our hands clenching the steering wheel.  It’s exhausting to be so guarded. But let’s not sugarcoat this: Trustworthiness can be so rare as we walk with other sinful, broken pilgrims on this journey of life. What a relief it is that God’s Word tells honestly of the ways His faithful servants also experienced disappointment, betrayal and broken promises in the past.  Remember Joseph, betrayed by his brothers and left in Pharaoh’s dungeon (Genesis 37:28; Genesis 39:19-21)?

Then there’s Paul, who was abandoned by Demas (2 Timothy 4:10). In fact, Jesus Himself knew the sting of abandonment from those He shared His life with most (Matthew 26:14-16; Matthew 26:56b). He was no stranger to the lack of trustworthiness in our broken world, and neither were many other people whom God loved and included in the story of redemption.  Encountering betrayal from others on our journey won’t threaten to derail us if we grasp that God is the only One who is truly trustworthy. When we know the character of God, we won’t rely on feelings, empty promises or blind faith. We will go to the Word of God. We will consider who He always was and who He always will be; we will know Him.  “Those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you” (Psalm 9:10).

You see, we were meant to live in the confidence of knowing the trustworthiness of God. All through life, other companions may abandon us, disappoint us, or lead us down the wrong path but not the Lord. He is the most trustworthy guide we could have as pilgrims on a long journey. He cannot lie, He can only do good, and He is bound by the lovingkindness that defines Him.

He guides and leads (Proverbs 3:5-6).
He sees and vindicates (Psalm 37:5-6).
He never abandons us (Hebrews 13:5).
He keeps every promise He has made to us (1 Kings 8:56).
He answers us in our distress (Psalm 20:1).
He is with us even in the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23:4).

How trustworthy our God is!  Are you banking on God’s grace?

Is He your hope?

Try recounting the ways He has been faithful as He’s promised. Stop to consider how trustworthy He’s been in times past, perhaps when you’ve not even realized or thanked Him for it. If you and I will take the time to write out the ways God’s been trustworthy to us, we, too, will echo this refrain from an old hymn:

’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus
and to take Him at His word,
just to rest upon His promise
and to know, “Thus saith the Lord.”

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him,
how I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er!
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
O for grace to trust Him more!

[PippaJane]

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Being Brave in the Balance
September 15, 2023
by Melanie Connatser, COMPEL Training Member

“Now it was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer with God. And when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, who He also named as apostles ...” Luke 6:12-13 (NASB)

Grabbing my mountain bike covered in dust and spider webs, I ventured to the trails, feeling like a kid again.  Why am I so wobbly?

Have I forgotten how to shift gears?

Yes, it appeared so. The trail was several miles long, and while my legs hadn’t endured those paths in a while, I mustered up enough courage to start pedaling. Determined to be brave, I knew balance would come once I started moving.  Finding balance in our everyday lives is not always easy. We juggle so much: families, work, friendships, ministry, hobbies, chores. With much demanding our attention, sometimes the fun, adventurous things get forgotten and collect dust because we’re trying to get everything else done. Before we know it, we can become overwhelmed and feel imbalanced.  I can quickly find myself lacking balance when I don't pause to pray and instead keep saying “yes” to so many things when I know I should say “no.”

Perhaps your plate is full of taking kids to extracurricular activities, tackling that never-ending pile of work projects, or caring for an aging parent in a new season of life. You can never seem to find time to catch your breath. Maybe you put everyone and everything before yourself because it feels selfish to make time for yourself.  But what if we were brave enough to choose balance?

The truth is: I think we're all brave. Even if we're a little shaky like me getting on my mountain bike as we move forward with Jesus, we will find the right rhythm and balance.  “Now it was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer with God. And when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as apostles ...” (Luke 6:12-13).

Jesus knew how to balance. Putting everything aside, He knew when to rest. He understood the need to get away and spend time alone with His Father. And after He rested, He continued with His work, refreshed. Jesus' trip to the mountain to pray, which set His priority the next day to choose His apostles, is a beautiful picture of balance.  I can picture myself trying to pedal my bike up that mountainside to get to Jesus. As I catch my breath, I imagine Him saying, “Sit and rest awhile.”

And once rested, I can find clarity on what I should say “yes” to and when to say “no.”  Finding balance is not about reaching perfection and checking everything off our lists. Instead, we find balance when we’re brave enough to say a necessary “no.”  Balance is embracing new seasons.  Balance is choosing to dust off and bravely follow those buried dreams.  Balance is going off to the mountain to pray.  Sometimes the bravest thing we can do to find balance in life is choose to pause. Pause to pray. Pause to rest, just like Jesus.

[PippaJane]

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Growing Emotionally and Spiritually With Jesus
September 18, 2023
by Kristi Gaultiere

“... Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (NLT)

Growing up, my parents and older sisters were strong thinkers and had control over their emotions. However, I experienced strong emotions; I could not help but feel my feelings.  I felt tremendous shame about being so emotional. How were my parents and sisters able to be so logical all the time?

How could they be so even keeled?

Why couldn’t I be like them?

Over time, I began to hate myself for my strong feelings. To cope with all my emotions and the stress they caused for me and those around me, I put my energy into being sensitive to the desires and needs of others so I could help them and secure their love. I thought I had found a way to secure myself in my relationships, feel better about myself, and earn people’s love.  This seemed to work for me until I hit a wall in my late 30s. I suddenly realized how unloved I felt, even by God. I had been taught that the Lord was good and loving but no longer really trusted this to be true. Deep down, I was angry at God for allowing me and the people I loved to suffer.  Due to repressing my emotions, I found myself buried in shame, horrified by the pride and hypocrisy in my soul, questioning my faith, dissatisfied with my life and relationships, and suffering from depression.  Many of us hit a similar wall in our spiritual journeys. To move past that wall, we need to get emotionally honest with ourselves, God and others. As we do, we grow into deeper intimacy with God and greater spiritual and emotional health to be formed in Christlikeness.  One tool that has helped me get emotionally honest is the Enneagram. God used this model of personality to uncover the hidden pride that drove me to try to secure myself rather than depend on the love of Jesus Christ. The Enneagram teaches us helpful truths about human personality.  Of course, the theory and its teachers are not perfect, so we chew the meat and spit out the bones. And in our use of the Enneagram, we still put our confidence in Jesus Christ, the One in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3). We look to His perfect life, His loving Father, His ever-present Spirit, His true Word and His Church.  Whatever you are feeling in your life and personality, Jesus of Nazareth understands. He was tempted to react by securing Himself in pride (Matthew 4:1-11), but He chose to trust God instead. In fact, the New Testament specifically names 39 different emotions that Jesus felt. Our Savior felt deeply and intelligently. When the Son of God took on human flesh, He stepped into human personality to empathize with us (Hebrews 4:15). He shows us that healthy feelings go with a thriving faith.  In some way, each of us is like the man with a deformed hand whom Jesus encountered at the synagogue on the Sabbath (Mark 3:1-6). The man may have felt ashamed as he hid in the shadows, anxious about how to provide for his family and angry for being judged and boxed out by the haughty priests. Jesus had compassion on him and felt anger and sadness toward those who didn't want the man to be healed.  On another occasion, we’re told that when Jesus encountered a certain rich man, “Jesus looked at him and loved him” (Mark 10:21a, NIV).

Both the rich man and the man who needed healing felt sad. The rich man walked away sad and clinging to his wealth instead of to Christ; the man in Mark 3 started out sad but then became hopeful. He kept his eyes on Jesus, took Jesus at His word, reached out his hand, and was made whole! Our opportunity is to stretch out our hurting hearts and our personalities to Jesus and be made whole in God’s love.  Jesus explained, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

We all have hurts in our souls that we want to fix. But your soul is not like a broken car that can be fixed by a mechanic. The cure for a hurt soul is care.  Over the 30 years that my husband, Bill, and I have been therapists and spiritual directors, we’ve found that the key to emotional and spiritual growth is to bring our broken personalities to Jesus and reach out for His loving touch. As we absorb more of Jesus’ grace in our personalities, it enables us to better care for and guide others.

[PippaJane]

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I Couldn’t Find Me Anywhere
September 19, 2023
by Carole Holiday

“Then he said to them, ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.’” Matthew 26:38 (NIV)

There was a moment in time ah, in truth, maybe a few million moments when a series of losses swept me into the undertow of despair, and I lost myself. Within a deep darkness, I couldn’t feel my face or see my toes. I couldn’t find me anywhere.  After the only man I had ever loved walked out the door, I was let go from my job and faced financial devastation leading to bankruptcy. Accompanied by a damaged, not-beating-so-well heart, I lost my best friend to cancer, caring for her in the big hospital bed in the living room of the little house on Wilson Street until my grief reached a groundswell and carried me away in its current.  It was then that I wondered what Jesus, both God and man, whom I had followed since I was a child, would say about all of this.  How did Jesus talk about sadness and grief?

Are His words meant for some ancient character in a desert dune in another part of the globe, or could they repair the little girl now grown up with skinned knees and a bruised heart?

Could His words heal me, the woman who was too sick to reach for His healing cloak on her own?

Two things come to mind when I wonder about those questions.  First, grief and its sticky tendrils of despair remain timeless.  The human emotions that our Lord Jesus exhibited in the first century can be understood by those of us in the 21st century. When I read that Jesus was “overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” (Matthew 26:38), I can trust that when I’m lying on the carpet in my closet, crushed with the weight of unimagined despair, He knows exactly how this feels.  Secondly, Jesus always acknowledges pain He never dismisses, distracts from or sugarcoats it.   He lamented the disappointments in relationships that contributed to His own pain: “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” (Matthew 26:40b, NIV).

He vented about lost opportunities: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem how often I have longed to gather your children together …” (Matthew 23:37, NIV). And He cried over earthly suffering: “Jesus wept” (John 11:35, NIV).

Jesus never hid His pain, and He never hides from ours.  So how is pain different as a Christian?

We believe that our sad stories are being redeemed. That’s hope.  From the earliest pages of Scripture through its closing words, God’s story has been about redemption.  In Jeremiah 29, the prophet Jeremiah addressed God’s exiled people in Babylon. This was not their home, yet God announced through Jeremiah that they must remain in this foreign land for 70 years. Then the assurance of redemption came in Jeremiah 29:11-13, in the promise that those who sought God with all their hearts would find Him no matter their past regrets or failures. He would return the waylaid to their home.  God never intends your despair to be the end of the story. Sandwiched between the sorrow and the solution is the in-between, the redemptive waiting room. It’s why, for believers in Jesus, bitterness doesn’t linger on the tongue to cancel the sweetness that’s coming.  Jesus shouted this truth in His beatitudes (“blessed are those who mourn” [Matthew 5:4, NIV]) and rasped it on the cross with His failing breath (“today you will be with me in paradise” [Luke 23:43, NIV]).

Then His resurrection gave us the ultimate reason for hope.  He promises that tomorrow will be better. Different. Redeemed

[PippaJane]

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Healing From the Inside Out
September 20, 2023
by Sarah Geringer

"Heal me, LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise." Jeremiah 17:14 (NIV)

A friend’s husband had just undergone stomach surgery. When I asked her about his recovery process, she said, “The doctors closed up some of the wounds. But they left others alone because they want him to heal from the inside.”

I told her I would write this down to remember later because I knew a lesson was tucked into those words. Little did I know how much I would value her wisdom three years later, when I was healing after a painful divorce.  Though I longed for quick fixes like a new relationship and swift justice in my unfair situation, the Lord seemed to be saying “no” to those requests for closure. However, He tenderly and lovingly invited me to seek Him as my Healer.  God showed me that I needed deep healing from within more than a balm on the outside surfaces of my hurts. He saw the hurts I carried all the way from early childhood, plus the decades-long struggles in my difficult marriage. Pain that far reaching and long lasting would take much time and effort to heal.  My thoughts, attitudes and actions needed healing at the base level of my heart and soul, where the Holy Spirit lives in me (Romans 8:11).  As I got further away from the original crisis of the divorce, I saw God’s character powerfully demonstrated in my healing journey. He was and is the only One capable of fulfilling the roles described in this verse:  “Heal me, LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise” (Jeremiah 17:14).

Though we may not require physical surgery, our hearts can shatter and need intensive care. I believe the Lord lovingly stitches some of our wounds shut with immediate help from pastors, counselors and godly friends. But He wisely leaves some places in our hearts open so He can heal us through the work He does within.  The Lord alone saves us from our own sin and heals the injuries of others' sins against us. He can make our hearts stronger with His unconditional love before we ever entrust ourselves to others again. Time alone with the Lord in Bible study and prayer fills up our empty caverns and soothes our loneliness. His comfort makes us much stronger than anything on the outside can do.  One part of my healing journey has been praising God through song. I praise Him as my Healer and Savior the only One who deserves these accolades. Though you and I may not be fully healed yet, we can praise Him for healing us from the inside out through the power of His Word and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

[heartbroken]

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When You Feel So Mad You Want To Roar
September 25, 2023
by Asheritah Ciuciu

"The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love." Psalm 103:8 (ESV)

Do you struggle with anger?

I grew up in a home rife with anger, and I promised myself that when I became a parent, I would always be patient and calm.  And then I became a parent. Oof. Nothing is more humbling than watching yourself do the very thing you promised yourself you’d never do.  Over the past 10 years, I’ve struggled to be a calm parent. I can feel my blood pressure rise when my kids argue over whose turn it is to play with a favorite toy, who got the biggest serving of pie, or who gets to sit in mommy’s lap during story time.  “Just keep your voices down!” I’ve sometimes said with a notably raised voice.

My hypocrisy is plain for all to see.  My mommy friends pat me on the shoulder and reassure me I’m not the only one, which I appreciate, though sometimes it feels like little consolation to think that everyone else struggles with anger too. It’s not just parents (and our kids). It seems the whole world has become angry.  Our culture has become louder and angrier over the past few years: Whether on the news or behind the pulpit, angry voices tend to command our attention, and caustic tones seem to win the argument.  But is anger the way of Jesus?

A few years ago, when I was reading through the Gospels and the book of 1 Corinthians to uncover the love of Jesus, I realized how beautifully Jesus embodies the truth that love “is not easily angered” (1 Corinthians 13:5, NIV).  When Jesus took on human flesh, He experienced the full spectrum of human emotion, including anger. But His anger was righteous, always targeted toward those who abused and misused the weak and innocent. Jesus was indignant toward the disciples who blocked children from reaching Him (Mark 10:13-16); He toppled the tables of the temple merchants who overcharged for sacrifices, making it difficult for people to worship God (Matthew 21:12-17). Jesus’ anger mirrored the Father’s anger: a powerful emotion born of love and tenderness toward those He created.  One psalmist explains, “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Psalm 103:8).

Our heavenly Father does not yell at us when we forget to read our Bibles; He does not lash out or lose control even when we disobey Him. He is merciful and gracious. And when He does become angry throughout the Bible, it’s always a reflection of His love for what is good and His righteous opposition to what is evil.  In contrast, our own anger often arises out of selfishness, pride and impatience. We lash out at those who inconvenience us (like the driver who cuts us off in traffic) or those who contradict us (like neighbors whose political views are different than ours). And sadly, we often act in harsh ways when anger controls us, leading to many regrets.  But Jesus is not easily angered because, at His core, Jesus is love. And as the very embodiment of God with us, Jesus has shown us the Father’s heart (1 John 4:8).  When we feel our blood pressure rise, let us be quick to remember God’s own patient love toward us. And let us run to Jesus, our heavenly Advocate, and ask for His patient love to calm our angry hearts.

[PippaJane]

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His Banner Over Me Is Love
September 27, 2023
by Shala W. Graham

“In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. 'Lord,' he said, 'if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.'” Luke 5:12 (NLT)

When I was a kid in Super Church, as our children’s ministry was called, we sang a song that went, “The Lord is mine and I am His; His banner over me is love!”

Maybe you sang this song, too, if you grew up in church. Maybe you still know the hand motions accompanying it and would happily give us a full demonstration and to that, I say, “Let’s do it!”

But to be honest I was 40 years old when I had to ask Google what “His banner over me is love” actually means.  Have you ever seen the opening ceremony of the Olympics, where each team carries their country’s flag?

Or perhaps at a local college football game, have you watched the team mascot run out on the field carrying a massive flag with the school logo on it? In ancient times, armies used banners like these during war to identify who they were fighting for or where their allegiance was.  So if we gather under the banner of God’s love, that love is where our allegiance lies.  In Luke 5, we see the story of a man with leprosy, a skin disorder, who showed his allegiance to Jesus:  “When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. ‘Lord,’ he said, ‘if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.’  Jesus reached out and touched him. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be healed!’ And instantly the leprosy disappeared” (Luke 5:12b-13, NLT).

The man bowed down before Jesus, a symbol of surrendering to God, essentially saying, “Jesus, You are my banner. You are over me.” And what kind of banner was Jesus?

A banner of love.  There is a famous passage of Scripture about love that starts, “Love is patient and kind” (1 Corinthians 13:4a, NLT). Because Jesus is love, the following is true:  “[Jesus] is patient and kind. [Jesus] is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. [Jesus] does not demand [His] own way. [Jesus] is not irritable, and [Jesus] keeps no record of being wronged. [Jesus] does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. [Jesus] never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, NLT).

We can know THAT Jesus! He is the banner of love under which we are invited to stand in surrender! And the cool thing about surrendering to Jesus is that He also welcomes us to ask anything of Him, much like the man who needed healing in Luke 5.  So what’s your ask?

What would you seek from the One who embodies pure, unrelenting love?

Friend, Jesus loves you and is willing to heal you from sin and death forever. Will you bow down in faith before Him and let Him be the banner over you today?

[Lil angel]

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Read This if You Think You’re Falling Behind
October 2, 2023
by Jennifer Dukes Lee

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens ....” Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)

Behind.  That’s how I’ve felt so many times. Behind in my career, behind in forging solid relationships, and behind in hitting whatever milestones I think I need to hit.  I’m guessing you’ve felt that way, too like your growth is stunted and you’re falling behind while everyone races happily on by.  Culture is quick to offer a solution for the progress you desire. With a certain supplement or diet plan, you can “lose 10 pounds in a week.” If you want to grow your finances, you are promised million-dollar results after a three-day conference. There’s a shortcut for every goal you’ve ever set for your home, your body, your marriage or your career. Look to the ads for proof.  Oh, if only growth were so easy.  My family farm in Iowa can tell us a different story a better story about growth. Right now, the farm is in a season of harvest, when we shear the fields to bring in our crops. These towering plants grew up from tiny seeds planted in the spring. God grows crops slowly from seeds to roots to stalks to leaves. The last thing to grow on a corn plant is the corn.  Yet in all my years as a farm wife, I’ve never once seen a corn plant freaking out. I’ve never seen a corn plant compare itself to another faster-growing stalk. I’ve never seen a corn plant question its worth when growth was slow.  As it turns out, we can learn a lot by paying attention to the fields. Because here’s the truth: We can’t harvest on the same day we plant.  That’s true for crops, and that’s true for people.  I understand how frustrating it can be to feel like you’re falling behind, especially when it relates to something you’ve been praying about for a long time. It can feel like everyone around you is reaping a harvest while you’re a tiny seed stuck under the dirt.  But here are two things I know to be true about growth:

1.  Growth takes time, sometimes an entire lifetime.

In Ecclesiastes 3:1, God shows us that, like a field, we grow through seasons: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens ...” Those seasons are filled with ups and downs: mourning, dancing, weeping, laughing, planting and uprooting (Ecclesiastes 3:2-8). Not all seasons give us exactly what we want, but slowly God unfolds His perfect plan for our growth.

2.  Growing is hard.

I wish God would always grow my faith with trips to the beach. Instead of growth that requires struggle, I want to pray my way out of the struggle. But as God grows us, He is more interested in transforming our hearts than He is in transforming our circumstances.

I am not going to wrap a happy bow around the hard things you face. Each of us alone decides how we experience a hard season. You have every right to feel terrible about seasons that have tested you. You have every right to mourn the losses. You have every right to wonder why the growth you desire is taking so long.  And also you can be assured that seasons of fruitful growth are part of God’s plan for you. Ecclesiastes promises us that healing, love and peace are a part of our bigger story.  In God’s timing, in His way, there is a purpose for all seasons: the quiet of winter, the beauty of spring, the growth of summer, and just as we are experiencing here on the farm the harvest of fall.  As long as your heart is still beating, the divine Farmer is still growing you. Let Him do what only He can do. Your harvest is coming too.

[PippaJane]

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From Darkness to Light
October 6, 2023
by Irina Creek

“even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.” Psalm 139:12 (ESV)

I was 10 years old when I first heard the radical message of the gospel.  I come from a country darkened by communism in the former Soviet Union. My family was burdened by alcoholism, landing my father in prison and often throwing my mother unconscious on the roadside. The night my mother walked away from us, all I remember is seeing my older sister, Katya, searching for her through the dark window.  Katya said she had this feeling deep in her chest that we would never see our mom again. And to this day, we don’t know what happened to her; she never came back.  Often, even as God’s children, we face unanswered questions. I don’t know why our mother never returned. I don’t know how we survived those days of poverty and hunger. But before I knew Him, God was already sustaining me through all my unanswered questions.  My sister and I were soon taken to an orphanage saturated in verbal and physical abuse. I remember thinking, Is this how you treat children? One night, the cruelty got to the point where I decided that I hated my life.  That was when God met me. He saw my heart, and even though I did not know God at the time, He nudged me to keep looking forward because all this pain would one day be in my past.  God doesn’t always pull us out of dark circumstances, but Psalm 139:12 reminds us that “even the darkness is not dark to [Him]; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with [Him].”

God saw me in that dark place. He knew about my struggles. And by His strength, He allowed me to endure the suffering and step toward a brighter day.  Later, my sister and I were transferred to another orphanage where the caregivers did not tolerate any kind of abuse. The atmosphere was completely different. And soon after we arrived, the director of our new orphanage made an astonishing decision: He allowed Operation Christmas Child to enter with shoebox gifts and share the radical gospel message.  There were many doors the Lord had to open miraculously for those precious shoeboxes to enter my hard-to-reach country, to enter my orphanage, to reach me. There is no one to glorify but Him.  When I received my shoebox gift, everything about it was so exciting and colorful and new! Simple items like hair clips and my own diary filled me with joy. But more important than anything in my shoebox was that through Operation Christmas Child, I heard the gospel for the first time.  To this day, I still remember that life-changing message. They talked about a God whom we can call our Father. They told us about Jesus, who came from heaven to earth to rescue us.  As an orphan, to me, that meant that God is the God of adoption! My dream all through my childhood was to be part of a loving family, and now God was inviting me into His royal family. It felt as if the light had finally won territory over the darkness in my life. I gave my burdens to Jesus and began to faithfully pray and seek after His heart. This seed of faith I received through my shoebox blossomed over the years into a deep-rooted faith in God. The darkness could no longer stop the light from getting in.  We all face darkness today on this side of heaven. But no matter how deep the shadows seem, God sees us. He hears our cries, and He is faithful to answer.  There are still many children who have yet to be adopted into God’s royal family. May we press on in faith because the day is coming near when all believers will be in the light together as the royal family of God.

[PippaJane]

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Women's Work Matters in the Kingdom of God
October 9, 2023
by Chelsea Patterson Sobolik

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3:23-24 (ESV)

I was barely three months into marriage when I abruptly lost my job. Stunned and hurt, I began picking up the pieces of my professional life and patching them back together.  After my unexpected job loss, I began to seriously study what Scripture says about women and work, and I discovered some life-changing truths.  On the very first page of Scripture, we see God at work as He created the world (Genesis 1). The pinnacle of creation was humanity, as God made men and women in His own image and likeness. He commanded both Adam and Eve to subdue and exercise dominion over the earth. Work predates the fall of humanity. And since the beginning of time, women have played a vital role in the flourishing of their communities, the Church and the Kingdom of God through their work.  Genesis 3 tells us that sin entered the world and marred everything in creation, including our relationship with work. We are broken people working alongside those who hurt and betray us and within shattered systems, institutions and organizations.  But the good news is that sin, sorrow and struggle don’t have the final word. All Scripture tells the story of God’s rescuing and redeeming plan for His people through the death, burial and resurrection of His Son, Jesus.  Just as the impacts of sin are far-reaching, so is the gospel. Christ didn’t come just to secure our eternal salvation. He also came to mold us into His likeness so we can be agents of truth, goodness and beauty in the world.  The good news of the gospel is that our work does matter. It matters because the Lord has called us to work, worship Him and love our neighbors: “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:23-24).

God promises that nothing done for Him is ever in vain. While our seasons of life fluctuate, the roles we step into and out of change, and we navigate happiness and hardship, what doesn’t change is that each of us is valuable in the Kingdom of God.

    The gospel reminds us that we don’t need to hustle for approval or significance. In Christ we already have all we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).
    The gospel frees us up from solely pursuing worldly success and calls us to a life of holiness and faithfulness (1 Peter 1:14-16).
    The gospel tells us that we can rest in Christ because the greatest work has already been finished (Matthew 11:28-30).

Wherever you find yourself, I want to remind you that the Lord sees you and loves you. It might feel like you’re working in obscurity or like your work doesn’t matter. But as God’s child, you are never alone in your work. The Lord has promised never to leave or forsake you, no matter how challenging and overwhelming life feels (Hebrews 13:5).  As I was wrestling through my job loss and figuring out my next steps, this truth of God’s enduring presence gave me deep comfort. I was reminded that no matter what my professional life looked like, no matter how many accomplishments or failures I had, God was guiding my path.  And, friend?

He’s guiding yours too.

[PippaJane]

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Three Loving Promises To Help Release Stress and Find Rest
October 11, 2023
by Bonnie Gray

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” James 4:8a (ESV)

For weeks, I tried keeping myself productive, thinking, Everything will be fine. But deep in my heart, where no one could see, I didn’t feel fine.   So much of life had changed in such a short period of time. There were no blueprints for what was ahead, and every day there were new uncertainties to shield my children from while trying to process things for myself.  Stress and worries have a way of reappearing on our paths, don’t they?

As I hiked up a trail one morning, I doubled up my powers of analysis to solve my dilemmas. But all it did was fill my mind with more troubling thoughts! As I reached the top of the hill and turned to walk back, my heart felt paralyzed and torn between pros and cons.  Do you ever feel this way, too heart stressed and longing for rest?

I don’t know what to do. Help me, God, I cried silently.  Making my way down through tall, unruly grass, I noticed something I hadn’t seen on my way up. Specks of orange poppies were blossoming, opening up under the sunlight breaking through the clouds.  How did I miss the poppies when I was walking up?

It turns out poppies are sensitive to the elements and close tightly when it’s cold and windy. Yet when warmed by the daylight sun, the petals open up, releasing seeds into the wind.  Each of us is like a poppy. Our hearts close like petals when we’re stressed but open when we cast our cares into the warmth of God’s hands. It may seem like God is silent, but God hears our unspoken prayers for help. God calls us to open up to His love like wildflowers in the sun. We can lean on God’s help.  As I stood there admiring what I now know are California golden poppies, scriptures came to mind, helping release three stresses I was feeling. Perhaps your heart, like mine, needs these truths today, so here are three promises from God to help us breathe in His peace:

1. When you don’t know what to do, God whispers through His Word, Cast your cares on Me.

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7, NIV).

Just like a flower opening in sunlight, release your worries to God — not by ignoring them but by naming them and confiding in Him. God cares about how you feel. He wants to carry your burdens.

2. When you don’t have words to pray, you can draw near to God in the beauty of nature.

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (James 4:8a).

Praying doesn’t have to happen while sitting at home. Go outside, and let God touch your heart through His creation. Spend your prayer time simply resting in God’s presence in nature, letting Him refresh you. The most intimate prayer conversations often happen spontaneously when you finally have space to breathe.  You’ll also feel better outside in God’s creation! Research shows simply looking at trees or listening to sounds in nature can reduce stress levels and recover a positive mood, easing depression and anxiety about school, work and everyday life.

3. When you long for someone to hold you, Jesus reaches out His hand to help you.

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand” (Isaiah 41:10, NLT).

Jesus will never give up on you. He will never grow weary of you or your worries. He says, Abide in Me. I’m holding you close.

Picture Jesus with you now, standing in the midst of your troubles. What is the help you need?

Share it with Him. What does Jesus say in return?

What does Jesus want you to receive from Him?

Whatever it is, open yourself to His loving care, and let God’s words bring peace to your soul. Rest in these loving promises of God meant for you.

[Lil angel]

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A Slow and Safe Place
October 13, 2023
by Sarah Freymuth

"Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised." Hebrews 10:35-36 (ESV)

Streetlights reflect off puddles on pavement, gray clouds hanging low. The tires of tired cars press the wet road on this weary afternoon, reflecting traffic lights and water drops. As I look down from my apartment above, the strain of constant coming and going on the street mimics my own soul’s tired efforts in a season where resolution has not yet come.  Rain falls, delicate, determined. This shower should last all day, forcing plans to stall and my breath to slow. Though all is not quite better, I try to let healing run its course in me.  It’s been a struggle, if I’m honest. The strain of slogging through has worn me out for many months during a long physical and mental health journey. I’m left in the middle of this marathon, the stretch of steps where miles blur but I wonder if I’m making any progress at all. I am far from the starting line but feel stuck forever at a distance from the finish line.  How do we handle these midpoints in life?

These seasons of waiting when we are worn from holding on to certain promises of God that have not yet come to pass?

While we wait, what do we do? How should we be?

In the stillness of suspension, waiting on the unseen, the not quite yet, do we simply push through until we reach the other side?

Perhaps we pause, breathe in peace, and begin again keep pressing on.  “Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised” (Hebrews 10:35-36).

We have need of endurance.  Yes, this road has been long, and we may find ourselves on a stretch of trail thick in the wilderness, wandering, looking for the path that leads us into our promised land. Hearts weary, hope battered, trust gathering dust. All we want is a way out, but it feels like God’s not giving guarantees.  Sometimes all we can do is fall into the rest He is holding out to us this day. The truth is that the way forward is in fact the way into Him. Deeper into His love, His character, His unwavering voice that whispers to us that we are safe in His embrace. He gives us what we need in order to endure and scoops us up at a stopping point to let us rest before we continue. During this pause in the pressing on, He fills us with His grace that is more than good enough.  God can restore the joy of our salvation (Psalm 51:12) and bring us back to where we began believing in Him. He urges us in the softest ways to hold firmly to our trust in Him, assured that He who set off from the starting line with us still weaves through the weeds right now as we make our way along the trail. His presence is our promise, and this we can hold on to as our guarantee.  When the road is long and our lungs are on the brink of collapse, let's pull away for a moment to a slow and safe place and let our hearts rest in Him. The longer we endure, the deeper we go with Him into those weary places, we receive the reward of His grace again and again.

[heartbroken]

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Guiding Your Daughter Through Friendship Struggles
October 23, 2023
by Blythe Daniel

“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” Ephesians 4:15 (NIV)

“How was your day?”

It was a question I typically asked, and I expected my 13-year-old daughter, Calyn, to respond with something like, “It was OK nothing great but OK.”

But when she told me what happened during her lunch break, I struggled to hold back tears while trying to comfort her.  As I listened to my daughter share about how a group of girls left her at the lunchroom table and began whispering from another area, memories flooded back to me.  I remember being a seventh grader sitting at a lunch table and feeling unseen. Even though I wasn’t one of the popular girls, I still wanted to matter and have friends who would be constant with me.  Why are friendships with girls so hard, and how can they change in a moment?

As moms, it’s often difficult for us to help our daughters with their friendships when we remember and even still experience the same kinds of hurts.  Soon after my daughter and I talked about what was happening with her friendships, I came to her in sadness and shared about some struggles with my friends who didn’t invite me in or who said hurtful things. My daughter and I encouraged each other to look at the friends who were true to us and to find friends who brought us closer to God.  My mom, who has been a licensed professional counselor for many years, has long encouraged me to speak the truth in love, even in my friendship struggles. I didn’t at first understand how Ephesians 4:15 applied to friendships, but I’ve come to see this principle up close and have shared it with my daughter: “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.”

Speaking truthfully to others and loving them when they’ve hurt us is not easy. But we can remind ourselves (and our daughters) that living in love and truth is not just a good idea it is a prompting from God.  Here are a few ways we can encourage our daughters to be honest with their friends and guide them to seek true and healthy friendships:

*  Pray. Join your daughter in prayer over her current and future friendships. Pray over her friends by name and over those she wants to be friends with.

*  Make space. Offer a gathering for girls to craft or bake together at your home. Girls can create and share items with friends and invite them for the next gathering.

*  Mentor. Offer to lead a small group Bible study in your home so that you can have regular conversations with girls about what they face. Pledge to the girls that what is shared will not be shared outside the gathering.

*  Be intentional. Create a check-in system for your daughter once a month so that you have a built-in time to talk about whatever she is feeling. (You may need to shift days depending on how her mood swings.)

You can also help your daughter focus on finding one good friend rather than trying to fit in with several girls at once. And encourage her to seek wisdom, notice how friends treat her, and speak up when something doesn’t seem right.  Our worth (and our daughters’ worth) doesn’t depend on what our friends say or do. Our value comes from God, and His view of us never changes. Even when we doubt ourselves and wonder if we’re teaching our daughters the right things, God reminds us that even on our worst days, if we've placed our faith in Jesus, God sees us as He sees His Son. Jesus makes us worthy of a relationship with Him, and He gives us all we need to flourish with our daughters and friends.

[PippaJane]

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Keeping Your Heart Open to New Friendships After You’ve Been Hurt
October 31, 2023
by Elizabeth Laing Thompson

“I thought to myself, ‘I would love to treat you as my own children!’  I looked forward to your calling me ‘Father,’ and I wanted you never to turn from me.” Jeremiah 3:19 (NLT)

Pain sliced through me every time I missed that friend, heard her name, or saw her picture on social media. We used to have coffee, sharing life and laughter but not anymore. We had both made mistakes in our friendship, and now the gap between us felt like a chasm I feared we’d never cross.  When a friendship falls apart, the fallout can be miserable. Insecurity, shame, regret, hurt, fear all the worst feelings gang up on us and coil around our hearts, sorrow’s bindings. Perhaps saddest of all, friendship loss can steal our childlike innocence, the openheartedness that once allowed us to make a friend on the playground and instantly love her forever and ever, with a friendship-bracelet bow on top.  If we don’t pray through, grow through and heal from friendship loss, it can cripple us. It can send our hearts into hiding, barricaded behind armored walls. We ache for friendship, longing to try again, but fear locks us down. Being alone may be lonely, we tell ourselves, but at least it’s safe.  How can we keep our hearts open to new friendships after we’ve been hurt?

Can we keep our hearts open?

I believe we can by following our heavenly Father’s example of optimism, vulnerability and courage. Listen to God’s poignant plea to His wandering people, Israel:  “I thought to myself, ‘I would love to treat you as my own children!’ I wanted nothing more than to give you this beautiful land the finest possession in the world. I looked forward to your calling me ‘Father,’ and I wanted you never to turn from me. But you have been unfaithful to me, you people of Israel!  ‘My wayward children,’ says the LORD, ‘come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts’” (Jeremiah 3:19-22a, NLT).

God has been hurt from relational conflict. He has been disappointed. Ignored. Insulted. Abandoned. There’s no betrayal or hurt we experience that God has not felt 10 million times over.  And yet.  After all this, God still loves. Instead of shutting down, giving up, He keeps trying. He keeps His arms, His heart, open to new possibilities. Why? Because God treasures relationships. And those who love Him delight Him so much that He bursts into song (Zephaniah 3:17).  How can God’s example help you and me recover from our friendship hurts?

First, God’s perspective can revive our optimism, reminding us how soul-filling a healthy relationship can be. “I looked forward to your calling me ‘Father,’” God said in Jeremiah 3:19             

I picture Him smiling at the thought.  Our yearnings echo God’s: I just want someone to call me “friend.” We want friends who make us snort-laugh between stress tears, who pray us through big life events, who reassure us, “You’re normal. I’ve been there too.”

Those friends are priceless, worth seeking. Worth setting aside our armor.  From there, let’s imitate the Father’s courage in initiating relationships. If you’re like me, you may wish God would drop a new friend directly onto your doorstep (ideally bearing chocolate and coffee), but alas, that’s usually not how it works. We can’t make new friends if we don’t put ourselves out there.  If that thought sounds intimidating, remember: It’s OK to start small. You don’t have to go around spilling your life story to strangers just push yourself a step or two outside your comfort zone. Ask a co-worker to meet for coffee, swap numbers with the friendly girl on the yoga mat beside you, or share one not-super-scary truth that gives a potential friend a deeper glimpse into your heart.  Proverbs 12:26 tells us, “The righteous choose their friends carefully” (NIV).

It's wise to get to know people gradually, sharing more as the relationship matures and we discover that a person is indeed trustworthy.  Like our Father, we can keep seeking new relationships even after we’ve been hurt. We can pray about our efforts, asking Him to guide us. Not every risk will pay off. Not every vulnerability will be reciprocated, and not every effort will uncover the treasure of a heart-to-heart friend  but some will. And when they do, like our Father with our Father we can sing with joy.