But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.             Matthew 6:33

I am part of the last generation that remembers what life was like before the Internet; however, I have adapted quite well to the luxury of having infinite information at my fingertips or now, even upon verbal request. In our home, if anyone is curious about something or poses a question to which we have no answer our standard, funny phrase is “just ask The Googles” (you may substitute Siri, Alexa, or any of those other virtual assistants).

I love being able to go online and search for anything and everything, but I most appreciate the ability to quickly find a solution to a need (like a DIY stain remover or operating the high tech components in my car) or to compare prices on items and services.  

Yes, the World Wide Web is an amazing resource, but it can also be a black hole. 

Unfortunately, I find myself searching and continuing to search even after I find what I am looking for or something close enough to it. I get pulled in further by those pop-ups and pictures. I continue to click to see if I can find something better or an amazing deal. I just can’t be satisfied ending my search with the first “best match.” 

Minutes, hours, or days later I am still searching as I try to locate the perfect product at the perfect price. This exercise in futility can result in my original find being no longer available … frustrating.

As if that isn’t bad enough, I find myself doing this when I find what I’m looking for at a local store too. My thought being maybe there is something better, cheaper, nicer … online. So, there I stand in the aisle of the store hoping I have cell service to continue and possibly complete my search.

To complicate matters, I typically generate a picture in my mind of exactly what I want and when the stores or the Internet don’t have exactly what I picture, I keep searching. I won’t accept what is right in front of me that certainly fills my need simply because it doesn’t exactly match what I had in mind. 

Do you do this? It can’t be just me, right?!

Put this in a spiritual context. 

God answers your prayers but you fail to see it because the response isn’t exactly as you want it, so you go on searching …

You feel you need more food for your soul and your local church or your place of employment offers book studies, small group gatherings, or prayer groups, but you look past those opportunities – still searching … 

You need to spend more time studying your Bible and praying; although you could carve out time early in the morning or right before bed, you reject those options – still searching …

You need hope … faith … patience … understanding … love … and you have the Bible app, a Bible on the shelf, and God available to listen to your prayerful whispers 24/7, but you’re still searching …

Today, if you have a need or feel something is missing STOP.

Stop searching. 

Look at what is right in front of you. Take those chances for spiritual growth and deeper connections with Christ that can and will fill your needs. Try taking advantage of opportunities that are right under your nose or at your fingertips even if they don’t exactly match the image you created in your mind. 

Stop searching. 

Recognize God is here with you now providing exactly what you need. 

(This is a repost from a couple of years ago. As my husband and I celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary this week, I was reminded of this verse in 1 Peter. Today and every day, I am thankful to have my husband walk alongside me – through the years gone by and those ahead. Every day, we choose love and it just gets sweeter and sweeter.)

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.           1 Peter 4:8

After receiving a tearful invitation, I went to meet a friend who was struggling with her feelings. She needed a friend’s ear and perspective. In the parking lot of a grocery store, we sat in her car while I listened to her dilemma. 

Through her sobs, this young wife and mother shared that she was no longer happy in her marriage – her second marriage. She previously struggled through a teenage relationship that wasn’t meant to be. After spending time as a single mother, she was swept off her feet by a man, overwhelmed by his love not only for her but for her child as well. She entered that relationship viewing him as a knight in shining armor. 

Now, she identified his flaws. The armor was tarnished, dented. Her complaints were valid, of course, but also very human. He spent too much time with the guys. He didn’t like spending time with her family. He used bad language around the children. I think he left the cap off the toothpaste too. 

After listening, consoling, and considering her struggle, I asked one question: Do you want to stay married or not? She appeared shocked by my question.

My pastor had recently shared something life altering in a sermon. Instead of praying for a new spouse, pray for the one you’ve got. The things that were driving my friend crazy were annoying but not the end of the world. Her husband had not done anything immoral or abusive. He had a good job and was a hard worker. He wasn’t lazy. He was good with the children. He just wasn’t ideal in her eyes anymore. His armor had definitely lost its shine. 

Think about it though – real knights go into battle. They get dirty, dinged, and damaged by their foe. In life, we all get dirty, dinged, and damaged in one way or another.

Realizing this, the focus of our conversation that day shifted to the idea that the ideal doesn’t exist. Love is a choice. You can be determined to find flaws and focus on what’s wrong or you can choose love. We each have the opportunity daily to make up our mind to be happy. 

For my friend, she could choose to love him or not. Flaws and all. There are no perfect people.  At any time, we could choose to walk away or choose to walk alongside through the good and the bad. 

We all have a choice.

As you walk through life, remember 1 Peter 4:8 states, “ … love covers a multitude of sins.” Not just the sins of others – your sins too.

Think of those closest to you. They choose to love you. 

Their love for you allows … Forgiveness. Reconciliation. Compassion. Understanding.

When you allow your love to cover others you create more space for … Good times. Laughter. Happiness. Joy. 

The next time you look at that friend, spouse, significant other, or even that stranger that cut you off in traffic … “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.”

You have a choice. 

Choose love.

Dear Lord, 

I am so appreciative that you allow Your love to cover the multitude of sins in my life. Thank you for placing people around me who love me. Flaws and all. Grow my heart, Lord, so that my love overflows covering the people close to me and those I come into contact with each day. 

Amen.

In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8

Young, naïve, and filled with energy, sleeping until noon on the weekend was the norm. Play hard all day – Sleep sound all night. Play hard all week – Sleep in on the weekend. No problem. This pattern lasted until I started adulting. 

Becoming a young adult, a parent, and a professional in my field changed all that. I became restless … sleepless. Unable to sleep all night because of things I had on my mind. I found myself waking up with worry. Will we have enough money to pay the bills? Are the kids ok? Is someone crying? Did I forget to do something important for work? Is that person upset with me? These are just some of the thoughts that interrupted my sleep. 

If I wasn’t worrying about one of those things, I had numerous ideas running through my mind. Things I needed to remember or wanted to do. Pay for school aftercare … Remind students of … Ask teachers about … Share this thought with … Remember this idea to enhance a lesson … Pursue this creative thought … You get the idea. It was nonstop. My brain never turned off.

Advancing in my career, I became even more sleepless with increased responsibility for the care, education, and safety of others. Is bad weather moving in before dawn? Should I cancel or delay school? Must remember to meet with (student, teacher, parent) to address behavior or mediate conflict. How can I better motivate others? Board member wants to meet first thing in the morning – what can that be about? How can we increase student success? Teacher satisfaction? Public perception? Why are those social media posts so hurtful? Countless, endless contemplations over time hijacking my mind, robbing me of sleep … making me to be sleepless.

I never knew just how sleep deprived I lived my life until I retired from the career to which I devoted so many years and so much time. No more wonderings, what ifs, or weight of the world worries to make me sleepless. The school dreams stopped. The kids are married and happy. Finances are in order. My husband and I have more time to enjoy each other as well as travel and pursue hobbies. I find myself in a very sweet time of life.

I suppose you expect me to say I now sleep like a baby – not so. Now, I wake up in the middle of the night and find I have nothing (or very little) running through my mind. I stare at the ceiling, count sheep, try to come up with something that is on my mind but there is no reason for this sleeplessness. Maybe I just sleep less. Just age, I guess. 

I am sure you are familiar with the child’s prayer Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. My parents taught it to me, and we taught it our children too. The version I recite is:

Now I lay me down to sleep

I pray the Lord my soul to keep.

If I should die before I wake, 

I pray the Lord my soul to take. 

God bless … (insert specific names here).

Amen

Thinking of this prayer that ushered me into numerous safe, restful nights of sleep in my youth, I decided to create an adult version specifically for the sleepless times I have now. A prayer to occupy my mind until I am lulled and able to once again slumber. My new prayer is:

Now I lay awake at night,

I pray the Lord will hold me tight.

If I cannot fall back asleep,

I pray the Lord my thoughts to keep.

God bless …

I continue by adding my specific prayers of praise, protection, power, and promise for individual family members and friends. This helps me navigate my thoughts toward Heaven and my body successfully back to sleep.

Finding yourself sleepless?

Try this practice of prayer when you’re lying there wide awake desperate for a few more hours of shut eye. I wish I had thought of it sooner instead of wasting precious time and rest on the worry and weight of this world.

When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
    when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

Proverbs 3:24

(Many of the school systems in our area start back tomorrow and others will begin in the next week. I wish everyone a safe, successful academic year filled with increased student success!)

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Proverbs 22:6 (KJV)

Just when everyone gets settled into a comfortable summer routine, it seems the fun is interrupted and the big yellow buses hit the road picking up children to take them back to school. Whether you have a child in school, work in a school, or just travel a road that passes a school, you are affected when that bell rings to signal that school is back in session.

Students return to school lamenting the passing of lazy summer days and acting as if they don’t remember what they learned just weeks earlier. Faculty and staff return to school and seem surprised at the lack of prep time and rush to get everything just right even though they have done the same start up routine for many years. Commuters are late for work that first day the big buses run because they forgot how congested the roadways are during peak travel times and about the delays they encounter when they safely stop to wait for children to board.

I can’t help but see a connection between this back to school shock and my spiritual journey. I don’t know about you but looking back at my life I can easily identify times when I have strayed away or taken a “break” from my spiritual routine and training. Like those students who become lackadaisical over the summer and get out of the habit of studying, I have done that regarding my own personal, Christian growth.

It never fails – the spiritual vacation ends with the wake up call to go back to school – so to speak. With some grumbling and complaining, I work to get back in the routine of a life centered on Bible study and prayer. Once I am back in the groove, it all comes naturally and I feel better and function more efficiently when I am focused on the right thing – my life with Christ. 

As we get older, a reminder to return to “the way [we] should go” is important. Just like those students who are returning to their formal training and renewing the desire to learn, as Christians we need to return and renew our commitment to walking in the way of the Lord. 

So if you have taken a vacation from your spiritual journey or are experiencing the summer slide in your soul, take this opportunity to go back to school as a student of God.

Remember those basic teachings and make the commitment to stretch yourself this academic year and grow in your faith. The benefit you receive will be immeasurable. You just might be surprised at how much you will add to your life through your love of learning and the scriptures.

Train and discipline yourself in prayer and devote time to studying the Bible. Then, even though you “go on vacation,” you will not depart from it. 

When that alarm goes off each morning, remember:

Class is in session! 

“When Solomon had finished all these prayers and supplications to the Lord, he rose from before the altar of the Lord, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven.”                                                                     1 Kings 8:54

Here is a bit of history and a safety lesson: 

In the 1950s, a number of fire incidents occurred due to flammable clothing. The trendy clothing styles during that time were fashionable but highly flammable. These accidents led to the Flammable Fabrics Act in 1953 which set a standard on the flammability of fabrics. 

Later in the 1970s, the National Fire Protection Association determined a need to educate people on what to do if their clothes become inflamed and developed a series of Public Service Announcements to offer instruction and educate the public. Out of this initiative came the Stop, Drop, and Roll technique. Through the PSA campaign this technique and message became so memorable and popular it was soon incorporated into all fire safety educational programming. In short, the message states that if your body or clothes catch fire you should immediately stop, drop to the ground covering your face with your hands, and roll over and over back and forth until the fire is out.

The classic Stop, Drop, and Roll phrase and the visual of the action required is vividly etched in my mind as many songs with movements were used to teach this when I was a child (yes, in the 70s). As a part of fire safety, it continues to be drilled with children at a young age so that the action becomes an automatic response should this ever happen. 

When you read today’s title you may have immediately envisioned this process.

Stop, Drop, and Roll.

You may be thinking, “OK, but what does that have to do with this scripture or this devotional?” Since this concept is so engrained in us, I found an additional, useful application for Stop, Drop, and Roll that can easily be applied and remembered as a Christian. 

Applying these same principles, you can improve your prayer life (with slight modifications). Try this:

When life heats up causing you distress, remember to STOP immediately, DROP to your knees (or drop your head covering your face), and let your concerns, needs, and praises ROLL off your tongue until you get it all out.

To make sure you’re prepared during times of crisis start practicing now so that it becomes an automatic response.

In the morning, STOP what you’re doing, DROP to your knees, and ROLL out your prayer for the day to the Lord. 

Preparing to eat lunch, STOP before eating, DROP your head, and ROLL off your blessing for the meal. 

Coming in from a long day, STOP. DROP. ROLL.

You get the picture. 

Look at Solomon, born in 1010 BC, as an example – this has been going on for years. Intentionally prepare for your prayer life the way we prepare for a lifetime of fire safety and security. 

As stated by the U.S. Fire Administration: Be prepared. Be informed. Be safe. 

Dear Lord,

At this moment, I stop and pause in your presence bowing my head before you to bring to you my requests and concerns as well as my praises. I want prayer to be my first response in all situations. 

Amen.

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”               James 4:7-8

Each Spring brings the promise of warmer days and later sunsets, and there is nothing quite like seeing the first vibrant colors of this season with a little help from those April showers. We love this time of year and enjoy being out in our yard.

With that being said, my husband and I have spent a good deal of time (and money) – little by little – planting and adding flowering perennials along with some evergreen trees and shrubs to the landscape of our home since we moved here five years ago. It has taken us a while to find the right combination of plants in the best spots around the yard. 

In doing this, we have encountered a few challenges along the way. Two primary obstacles have been 1) the soil, which is hard clay and 2) the wildlife. Until now, we have always lived in a subdivision in a metro area. Here we are more remote – on purpose. There are a lot of benefits to being 20 minutes from just about everything.

When we picked the location for what we consider our retirement homestead, we selected this property because it is a spacious, wooded lot in the foothills of the beautiful North Georgia Mountains and home to a plethora of wildlife including a variety of song birds, turkey, fox, hogs, deer, bear, and an occasional bobcat. We love animals and never tire of looking for and watching to see who stops by on any given day. 

Considering our love for this more rural area and our wildlife neighbors, we did not anticipate that one of these furry friends would be one of our biggest problems – Oh, Deer! We underestimated the love the deer would have for some of our leafy additions to the property. It didn’t take long though to figure out what they like. First, they ate the hosta. Then, the hydrangeas. Next, the roses and the clematis. 

Oh, Deer …

Last year, we thought we outsmarted them as I researched deer resistant plants prior to choosing the replacements for my front flower bed. Proudly, I placed my hardy, floral finds in a carefully planned pattern for my husband to plant. All deer resistant … until they weren’t.

Oh, Deer …

Before my black-eyed susan could bloom, they were nibbled to nubs. Same with the some of the cone flower, roses, and yes – again, the hydrangeas (my favorite). 

I’m not giving in – the battle continues. We installed motion sensor lights near the plants which worked … until it didn’t. Moved all the hydrangeas to the back yard in the fence which worked … for the hydrangeas, but now the deer ate the lantana instead. They never eaten the lantana … until they do.

Oh, Deer …

So much for the deer resistant vegetation. I had to remind myself that these plants are deer “resistant” not deer “proof”!

Of course, there is a bigger lesson here. Turns out I’m a lot like those plants. As a Christian I resist the devil … until I don’t.  Somehow sin creeps back into my life – usually when I least expect it. If I’m lucky, the devil is only nipping at my heels and I quickly notice what’s happening, so I get myself back on track through intentional prayer and Bible study. There are times I neglect my spiritual needs for far too long and my faith looks like those poor plants after the deer graze – shredded, trampled, nibbled to the nub. 

Oh, Dear!

Just as I’ve learned that deer resistant doesn’t mean deer proof, being a Christian doesn’t make me devil proof – I am just devil resistant. 

Take the advice found in James chapter 4 and draw near to God so He will be near to you making you much more devil resistant. Even when you resist temptation, you can stumble, so remember to put on the full armor of God.

“Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”      Ephesians 6:13-17

(HI! I have been away from my blog for a bit and I have an exciting reason why – I am publishing a book! I got so wrapped up in editing the work for the book, I neglected to keep my weekly post … well, weekly. I hope this was worth the wait. I will keep you posted on the progress of publishing too. The book should be out by the end of summer. Thank you for encouraging me and for staying connected with through it all!)

“This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”            Psalm 118:24

I’m a thinker, a dreamer, and a planner. Consequently, this means I’m always looking ahead. I seem to always be in the process of hatching a plan of some sort or to have something new and exciting on the horizon. Although this means I tend to be a pretty optimistic person, there is a down-side … sometimes I miss what is right in front of me. In looking to the future, I miss something great in the moment. 

Do you have an app that counts down to a vacation or celebration? Is it tagged to your home screen as an ever-present reminder of something better that is yet to come? I do. BTW – It is 29 days until our next big trip. At our house, we are of the mindset that we should have a vacation planned before the current one is over, so we always have something fun to look forward to down the road. This is all well and good; however, the underlying message could be: today isn’t good enough. 

At times, we invest so much time, attention, and resources building up the idea of an upcoming event that we barely give notice to the extra in our ordinary days. That special holiday, trip, or occasion we desire and long for over an extended period of time comes and goes in what seems like the blink of an eye often leaving us let down because the experience did not live up to the hype. Our investment and expectations were too high. 

Conversely, while focused on the promise of the future we miss the awesome experience of today. This day. This day which is right in front of us is full of promise too – although we certainly don’t act like it. How many times do we dread going to work or seeing a certain person? How many times are we put out by the weather or the traffic or a change in family plans? We don’t expect anything different and treat today as mundane and routine thinking tomorrow will be better. And as the saying goes … tomorrow never comes. 

That’s why I’ve started making a conscious effort to be in the moment. One way I am doing this is by closing my emails with “Enjoy this day” – as a reminder. A reminder to the recipient of my email of course, but also and more importantly as a reminder to me!

Enjoy this day!

This day is the only one of its kind and when it is gone … it’s gone. This day will be filled with interactions that are one of a kind, words spoken and heard that deserve attention, and God’s beauty and grace reflected through nature and people around us. 

Enjoy this day!

Keep dreaming and looking ahead with great anticipation of upcoming celebrations, vacations, and accomplishments but don’t miss the joy in every day between those milestone moments. Take time right now to commit to finding the joy in this day. To be present in it. 

Don’t just countdown to vacation or a special day with excitement. Countdown to today, each day. Anticipate the goodness God has in store for you each time the date changes.

Enjoy this day!

What are you waiting for? 

Enjoy this day! I know I am.

^“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Act 2:42 (NIV)

I count myself lucky to have been raised attending church. My parents instilled in me the importance of church as part of our daily life. I attended church kindergarten (long before public schools offered kindergarten as an option) and was an active participant in every group offered for my age from the cradle to college. My friends all attended church too. Basically, if the doors of the church were open, we were there. I guess you could say I grew up in the church. 

As often happens, there is a segment of my life (a few years) where I was not involved in church. Those were my college years. I was not the kid that went away to school and joined the faith-based religious groups you see on most campuses. I was just too busy and, quite frankly, uninterested. Rising early for classes, studying late into the evening, hanging out with friends into the morning hours, and sleeping in on Sundays kept my focus elsewhere. I wanted to spread my wings and do my own thing to which you may relate.

Settling down and getting married, my husband (who also grew up in church) and I began our life together and, somewhat naturally in time, made church membership a priority. 

Membership was a priority; however, attendance wasn’t always at the top of our list. That is, not until we had children. Becoming a parent has a way of making you feel unqualified and a little bit helpless. Suddenly you have this tiny human for which you are totally responsible and nothing you have done or read has prepared you for the experience or the feelings that go along with it. 

Young, married, and now parents, church moved back to the top of the list of places to be. We realized we needed church. Not the building, but the fellowship. The fellowship with God, of course, but also other Christians. 

None of us were meant to do this (life) on our own. 

Now that our kids are young adults, I see them in the same pattern. As a parent, I tend to try to find ways to encourage faithfulness through the way that I live. On the occasion that I recommend church attendance and membership, one of my children has said more than once, “If I sit in the garage, it doesn’t make me a car … sitting in church doesn’t make me a Christian.” 

It is hard to argue with this logic. It’s true. We put a refrigerator in the garage five years ago and it is still a refrigerator. So no … sitting in church doesn’t make you a Christian; however, joining and actively participating in a church community helps you grow as a Christian and offers so many other benefits. 

Churches are filled with imperfect people, not perfect Christians. Membership and attendance at church is a way to stay connected with your faith finding strength and encouragement from other people like you. It is a way to stay close to God and His teachings. 

Some people wait until things go wrong before they step into church – a last resort. There is nothing wrong with that, but when that happens that one step seems like a giant leap. To be among a group of believers through the good times and the bad doesn’t require such a leap when you’re at the end of your rope.

I park my car in the garage to protect it from the elements. When I don’t and there is a hard frost, I spend a good deal of time thawing the car out and scraping the windshield. The same way the garage protects my car, the church is a refuge for my soul. When a season of hard frost batters my being, I am already wrapped in the warmth and protection of my God with the prayerful support of others as well.

Just something to think about when Sunday rolls around and you think should I stay home, or should I go … you should go. I guarantee you will receive a blessing for your efforts. 

Remember:

 ^“let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” 

Hebrews 10:22-25