The blind man didn’t give up on Jesus. He could have. He could have quieted down; He could have backed away. But he didn’t. He kept calling out all the more. He didn’t let judgment or disappointment get between him and Jesus.
Sometimes, when a desire goes unmet for a long time, our disappointment prevents us from asking again - because we expect to be disappointed again. But, what if the blind man hadn’t called out for Jesus again?
Read MoreI love the sunshine. It’s one of my favorite things. I love how it warms me up. I love being slightly blinded by its rays on my cheek. I love getting tan from laying out. I love how cool I feel wearing sunglasses. I just love the sun. It’s one of my favorite ways to receive God’s love.
When I’m having a rough day and the sun bursts out of the clouds, I feel seen by the Father.
Read MoreYesterday, I marched into the office with clacking heels and a can-do attitude. I was confident; I was sure. If I’m honest, I was also a little bit pompous. I knew that I looked good yesterday. My outfit was on-point. But did I bring an aura of the might of God? Did I offer an effusion, a fragrance, of the glory of the Almighty? Probably not.
This scripture passage is describing wisdom, but I wish it was describing me.
Read MoreWhen God offers authority, He sets the bar high. The first reading today lays out God’s expectations for His leaders. He says, “To you, therefore, O princes, are my words addressed that you may learn wisdom and that you may not sin.” He’s telling those princes, those who are rising in leadership, to pay attention. He instructs His rising leaders to see what happened in the past and to learn from it.
Read More“Because God tried them and found them worthy of Himself.”
God tries the ones He loves. If you weren’t worth the effort, He wouldn’t try you. He wouldn’t test you if He wasn’t invested in you. The Father loves you and that’s why He allows trials into your life. For the faithful, trials are offered as opportunities to engage our faith.
When we come up against hard things - difficult friendships, breakups, illness, issues at work, loneliness, etc. - we’re given opportunities to choose faith.
Read MoreYou. Know. Me. He knows me. He knows every thought, every desire, every want and need, every hope, everything about me. He knows it all. He knows me through and through.
God knows. There’s no need to hide, no need to run, no need to be afraid. We have Him, and He HAS us. He’s got it. He’s got you. He searches you, and He knows you. He knows you better than you know yourself.
He knows just what you need.
Read MoreSo often, I want to save myself. I don’t want to need a Savior. I want to be self-sufficient. I want to rescue myself because that feels safer than needing Him. Admitting that I need a Savior is vulnerable.
When I admit my need for a Savior, I’m admitting that I’m not enough on my own. And that’s uncomfortable. I love being self-sufficient. I love feeling powerful and in control of myself and my circumstances.
Read MoreBelief. Belief carries power. I’m sure you know a Negative Nancy who refuses to see the good, who lives in negativity, and who rejects any possibility that their circumstances could ever change. Nancy believes that her life will never get better, and so it becomes true. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.
But then, you see someone who chooses joy. You see someone who chooses gratitude and belief in goodness and love.
Read MoreIf we want to be faithful disciples, we have to accept our crosses. When I see a cross, my instinct is to get rid of it as soon as possible. Instead of faithfully carrying my crosses, I try to find a shortcut. I look for the path of least resistance, and I head in that direction.
And if my cross seems like too much to bear or will take too long or be too messy, I try to pull the plug.
Read MoreSisters, yesterday was an “endure in affliction” day. I had a rock bottom type of day yesterday, so this passage really hits home today. When things are hard, I don’t feel like enduring and persevering - much less rejoicing.
But today, today I choose to rejoice. Today I choose to persevere - even though I don’t feel like it.
Read MoreWhen God says something, He means it. And He will do what it takes to “make it happen.” His promises are true, and He will see that they come to fruition. We’ve seen it over and over and over again throughout scripture - nothing gets in His way. He is a way maker.
When He makes you a promise, He intends to fulfill it. His promises aren’t like the promises we experience from one another.
Read MoreHappy Friday! To celebrate the end of a long week, I thought we could use something a little lighter! And, as a musician, I just couldn’t resist at least one post about Kanye’s new album, Jesus is King, that dropped last Friday. Given the readings today, it couldn’t have lined up better.
Despite a few questionable lyrics, there’s definitely more good than bad on this record.
Read MoreHappy Halloween! Sisters, while Halloween brings on an onslaught of rough stuff, today’s first reading reminds us not to despair. We all know that Halloween tends to encourage plenty of people to start messing with spiritual stuff that should be left well alone, and that can be a little bit nerve-wrecking.
But we don’t need to be afraid because, “in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through Him who loved us.”
Read MoreThis passage left me asking the Father, “What does it mean to be strong enough?” So, I did a little digging, and I followed the trail of footnotes into Matthew 7:21, which says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in Heaven.”
Read MoreIf we are the flour, God is the yeast. He, the yeast, keeps pouring into us until we’re leavened. He keeps giving. He keeps sharing. He keeps loving. He keeps mixing more of Himself into us - He blends Himself into us - just like yeast into flour. And He leavens us. He makes up for our lack. He smooths our broken and jagged pieces. He fills the lack.
Read MoreI imagine Him, Jesus, climbing up the mountain. I imagine Jesus pressing towards the Father. I imagine Him climbing away from the disciples and the crowds and the madness of His life - climbing up. Up and up and up - toward the One who really matters. I imagine Him climbing up towards His Father. Legs working a little harder, heart beating a little stronger, breath coming a little quicker - I imagine Jesus exerting Himself.
Read MoreWhen I think of the law, I don’t immediately think - I’m delighted! Usually, I’m the one groaning. There are some personalities that LOVE rules. They like to know what the rules are so that they can follow them perfectly. As for me - I live on the fence.
Sometimes, rules just get under my skin. For example - I’m not a girl who loves the speed limit. Sometimes, when I feel feisty, I ignore cautionary signs.
Read MoreAll too often, my prayer time becomes a lamentation about God’s timing. “God, I know You have good things for me, but why not now? I know You have good plans, but how come I can’t see them today? What are You doing? Are you dragging Your feet on purpose?”
Even though it feels like it sometimes, God doesn’t drag His feet.
Read MoreWhenever I read this scripture passage, I’m reminded of a talk I heard in college. My friend, an awesome, holy guy named Jimmy, was working as a missionary for Saint Paul’s Outreach, and he gave a talk about longing for Jesus to come back.
Jimmy was on the brink of getting married and, in a moment of real authenticity, shared, “I want to marry Sarah more than I want Jesus to come.”
Read MoreIt’s that simple. God is always bigger. He is always able. His grace is always enough. He’s not intimidated or nervous about our sin or our failure. His love is too big for that. He is too big for that.
God sees our failures and our sin, but He’s not phased. He just offers more grace, more mercy, more love. We just have to receive it.
There’s always a reason to hope.
God promises that His grace will be enough.
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