Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Born

Life is a pilgrimage of sorts. It is a collection of experiences we keep tucked in our pockets. It is a collage of people we keep close to our hearts.

Life is a journey with a beginning and an ending. But I would say that life does not begin in the cradle. It begins at the cross. And it does not have to end at the grave. It can end with grace.

"I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'" -Jesus (John 3:5-7)

Monday, January 30, 2012

He Cares

With his hands, he hung the stars on a black velvet wall and then he spoke the word "night". And the same two hands are holding my heart on this very night. Thank you, Lord, for being big enough to create, and intimate enough to care.

"Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you."
-1 Peter 5:7

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Brave Enough

Sometimes I feel brave enough to rub shoulders with the unfamiliar.
So I take a step of faith, and find myself wide-eyed, realizing that God so freely hands us passports to new territories if we will only open our hands to receive them.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." -Joshua 1:9

Monday, January 23, 2012

A Mother

Her love is soft like velvet.
Her words are a sweet perfume.
Knowing she has today,
she embraces her child with visions of tomorrow,
as she showers her little one with grace and truth.

"Her children stand and bless her." -Proverbs 31:28

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Pieces

When we come to God, He finds us broken in a million different pieces.

Left alone, those pieces stay fragmented.

But if we let Him, God takes each piece in His hands and puts them back together so that little by little, we begin to look the way He originally intended for us to appear: like Him.

Are you putting the pieces of your life in God's hands? Or do they remain shattered and untouched?

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." -Genesis 1:27

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Bound

There comes a time when we must take up our anchors to set sail on the open seas and navigate through uncharted waters. But sometimes our anchors get rusty after staying buried in a watery grave for too long. Perhaps the time has come to cut the line?

What are the anchors in your life that keep you bound to familiar waters, preventing fresh winds from catching your sails?

"See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland."
-Isaiah 43:19

Thursday, January 19, 2012

No Power

Even though our hearts may cringe when something parades across our memories, the past has now power over us. I was reminded of this truth some time ago when I met a woman covered in the scent of grief as she spoke in memory of her lost loved ones. I listened, inhaling the aroma of her sadness. It smelled familiar, yet unfamiliar, like a perfume I know I have smelled before, but could not identify. Still, sadness clung to her, all musky and bold. She did not cry, her eyes did not even tear up. Instead, she spoke matter-of-factly as if her loved ones were still with us. And all I could do was breathe in her sorrow while listening to her stories.

Are you wearing the aroma of sadness today? Let me remind you that the past has no power over you.

"This is the day that the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it."
-Psalm 118:24

Monday, January 16, 2012

Bridges

Are you a Bridge Builder? Do you narrow the gap between two different people groups?

Bridge Builders teach the value of linking the well-fed with the hungry.

Bridge Builders embody what it means to extend grace to those who do not know how to receive it.

Bridge Builders love their neighbors as themselves regardless of their race, ethnicity, religion, culture or economic status.

Bridge Builders also check their foundation so that the structure is trustworthy and strong.

Jesus Christ is our ultimate example of what it means to be a Bridge Builder. He did not just narrow the gap between humanity and God when he died on the cross, he removed the gap completely. Jesus says "'I am the way and the truth and life. No one comes to the Father except through me." ( John 14:6)

Are there any gaps God is leading you to fill today?

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Once Upon A Time

Once upon a time, I sang a Capella to an audience called "Me". Now I sing Hallelujah to an audience of One.

Once upon a time, the world called me "Daughter". Now I am a Daughter of the King.

Once upon a time, true love was a fairy tale. Now true love is mine.

"I have loved you with an everlasting love . . . " -Jeremiah 31:3

Friday, January 13, 2012

Worship

I admit I sometimes worship my "almighty schedule," perhaps not intentionally, but it happens. And my prayer life follows a paper trail that leaves me wondering what time I need to be somewhere.

Does your day timer ever dictate your devotion? I have to remind myself to check my heart instead of my watch. What about you?

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." -Proverbs 4:23

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Balance

If variety is the spice of life, then balance must be the staple of life. I enjoy excitement and adventure, but I also need consistency. I may live by allowing the pendulum of my life to stop swinging, but after a while I need to regain momentum. Otherwise I end up too far to the right or too far to the left.

How well-balanced do you keep your life?

"My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God."
-Proverbs 2:1-5

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

God's Story

Life can be hard. Some of us make it through to the end, unscathed. Others don't. But all of us have a story. And each story is woven into a greater story: God's story. Did you know that God desires for you to debut as one of his main characters? The Bible tells us to "fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2).

Will you take a step of faith and live the story God has written for your life, or will you shrink back and settle for a lesser story and play the part of a lesser character?

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

New Vision

I took off my rose colored glasses only to discover that my sight was skewed. Even my lenses were cracked. What I thought was shabby chic turned out to just be shabby. It took time for my eyes to adjust. The light seemed brighter and my vision remained fuzzy.

The world told me I could have anything, but anything is really nothing apart from Christ.

I see that clearly now.

"... Some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, 'Do you see anything?'
He looked up and said, 'I see people; they look like trees walking around.'
Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly."
-Mark 8:22-25

Monday, January 9, 2012

The Door

I set out to find my place in this world, knowing this world is not the place for me. For I call heaven my home. Still, I knew I must search for the place purposed for me this side of heaven.

But fear now blocks the door to the way I believe I should walk and doubt darkens my vision. So I pray for God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. And I gather up my faith to take the steps I need to take that carry me past the fear. Now the door seems so much closer.

Is there a door you know you need to walk through, but fear keeps slowing you down?

"I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me."
-Revelation 3:8

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Amazing Love

I emptied everything I hold tightly from the hidden places in my heart. Then I dumped it all out and sifted through the things the world calls good. And I traded those things for the goodness of God. Now a brokenness burns from deep inside and I cannot help but feel overwhelmed by his amazing love.

"The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning.
I say to myself, 'The Lord is my inheritance;
therefore, I will hope in him!'
The Lord is good to those who depend on him,
to those who search for him.
So it is good to wait quietly
for salvation from the Lord."
-Lamentations 3:22-26

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Free

She chased after freedom before realizing that chasing freedom is like chasing the wind. So instead she stopped only to waste years of her life caged in a silent prison.

But then You held her heart in Your hands like a bird with a broken wing. You nursed her back to health. And when the winds changed, You set her free.

Now she soars, knowing it is one thing to be born, but it is an entirely different thing to be born again.

And when she sings, her voice sounds sweet as it sweeps through the city streets, beckoning hearts to beat wildly to the sound of freedom.

"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." -John 8:36

Friday, January 6, 2012

Save me

I was seduced into making my heart up in a bed of lies that devoured me until you woke me up. Then you offered me your one-of-a-kind love. So I buried my heart in your hands and asked you to save me.

"The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing."
-Zephaniah 3:17

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Drawing Close

I draw close to Jesus and he grips me in my time of need, shaking off the distractions of this life. Suddenly he has my full attention. But I don't want to continue coming before this Holy God still bound by the cares of this world. Instead, I want to kneel before him, stripped of the things that take pieces of me. Because the beauty of it all is that Jesus is not in it for the taking. He is in it for the giving. And he gave all of himself for me so that I could give all of myself to him.

Have you drawn close to him today?

"And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise."
-Hebrews 10:19-23

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Seeking

I want to walk barefoot, leaving my sandals in the sun. I want to go and find shelter in the shadow of His wings. And when I get there, I want to feel young in my faith again. I want to shed the weight of responsibility, peeling off the things that slow me down. And I want to put on the power of God, even if the culture all around me denies it. But I want to do all of this without even leaving the comfort of my kitchen table.

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." -Jeremiah 29:13

Monday, January 2, 2012

Resolutions

On new year's eve I stood beneath a star speckled sky, sobered by time. After all, it has the ability to not only usher in a new day, but also a new year. Then I stepped back into the familiarity of the four walls I call home after kissing the year's end goodnight. I closed the door on yesterday then reached for my pen and paper to record the resolutions weighing heavy on my mind. And as my pen maneuvered across the page, I felt determined to document something significant. But when my thoughts moved from my head to the paper, they appeared to pile up as artificial comforts I have allowed to cradle my heart. The things that spilled out only paled in comparison to the One who created the night sky or the passing of time. So I crumbled up them up and threw them in the trash before praising the One who never comforts me artificially, but only offers what is true. And I found my new year's resolution; to stop craving the comforts of this life and to start praising Him more.

What are your resolutions for this new year?