Month: February 2015

Heart Lessons

Posted on by Wendy
God looks at your heart.
God looks at your heart.

You would have to live under a rock to not know that tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. I mean, everywhere I shop I am assaulted by red and pink hearts, hanging everywhere. The pizza places are even selling pizza in the shape of a heart as their Valentine’s Day specials. All of these hearts and heart-shaped memorabilia got me to thinking about what God says about our hearts. In honor of Valentine’s Day, I thought I would share a few Biblical truths about our hearts.

A quick internet search shows the word heart turns up in the Bible anywhere from 570-830 times, depending on the translation. That seems like a lot to me. Our hearts seem to be a big deal to God.

In 1 Samuel 7, when God sends Samuel to look for Israel’s new king, He warns him not to pick the new king because of how he looks. He tells him that, “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Now, there’s some sacred wisdom that we probably should all strive to do better with; I know I should. It’s super easy to judge people by their outward appearance. The prophet Samuel was tempted to do the same, but God looks deeper. He looks within. It doesn’t matter how perfect or flawed the package appears on the surface; we are called to look deeper and to try to see a person’s heart.

This lesson can also serve as a reminder for ourselves as well. It doesn’t matter how we look on the outside either. It’s our heart that matters to God, no matter what other lies we may have been tempted to believe along the way.

Another heart verse that jumped out was, Proverbs 4:23; “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”

Our hearts are the gateway to who or what we worship. What or who we allow ourselves to get focused on or to love, can determine our destiny. We have to be very careful that we don’t fall in love with worldly pleasures and things that can prove to be dangerous for our souls. We have to guard our hearts.

What did Jesus say about our hearts? Actually, He said a lot of things, but my favorite is from Matthew 5:8; “Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.”

I once heard a pastor say that if we had pure hearts, we were always on the right track. How do we get a pure heart? I think we have to spend some serious time in prayer everyday asking God what His will for our lives is and asking Him how we can love others better. If we are putting His will in front of our own and loving others, I think we are truly seeking to have a pure heart. God will help us with the rest.

I hope you all have a fabulous Valentine’s Day!

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Rushing the Seasons

Posted on by Wendy
When we bloom in the right season, things work out beautifully.
When we bloom in the right season, things turn out beautifully.

When I took a walk yesterday, I saw a clump of daffodils completely in bloom. I would normally be cheered to see them. They are always an early announcement that spring is close by. Unfortunately, it’s only February 12th. It’s supposed to be in the twenties this weekend and then only a high in the forties for a few days. Sadly, I don’t think those daffodils will survive. They weren’t made for winter weather.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m always ready for spring. I am not a fan of winter. I can’t stand being cold and all of the layers and coats required for me to be warm are just a huge inconvenience. I was telling someone the other day about how I was longing for spring. Never mind the fact that our winter has been incredibly mild this year. I’m ready for the next season.

Those daffodils got me to thinking about what happens when we rush into the next season, before we fully finish our current one. We too, can get frostbitten like those tender blooms.

Think about it, when we are in a dark season of mourning or loss and we don’t allow ourselves the full amount of time it takes to heal, we sometimes do things like rush into a new relationship, or a new job, or impulsively sell our house, or get a new dog; (this list is close to endless.) We often find that as time passes, we regret those decisions and we most likely would not have made them, had we given ourselves some time and space to finish the dark season completely.

No one likes a dark season, but to get past it, we have to let it fully run it’s course and allow God to heal us. We have to wait.

Sometimes a season of growth is equally frustrating. We are ready to get going and do big things, but God wants to grow us more before we move. When we get impatient and move before we should, we often falter or fail at what we were attempting. God’s timing is different from ours. Waiting takes obedience, but it also builds faith.

I’ve always loved the Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. “There’s a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.”

The early daffodils are a reminder that we really need to appreciate and respect our current season, whatever it is. We don’t have to like it, but we need to completely finish it before we can move confidently healed and prepared for the next. God will let us know when it’s time and grace and faith will sustain us along the way.

Because when we wait on God, we are never disappointed. He always has big things planned.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Committing to Show Up

Posted on by Wendy
How different would our world be if we all committed to show up?
How different would our world be if we all committed to show up?

Yesterday was a super busy day for me. I subbed in fifth grade. My son had a dental appointment right after school that I had to rush him to. He had two cavities which will result in a second trip. I ran him home and then I rushed to my daughter’s school to pick her up from tennis practice. I rushed home for dinner and then rushed to a brand new small group from church that was meeting for the first time at 7:00.

I have to admit, I was not feeling it at all. I was exhausted. I wanted to put on my sweatpants and sit on a couch, but I had committed to go and be a part of this group weeks ago. Isn’t that always the way with human nature? We love the idea of doing something different, of participating in something that will grow us or change our lives in some way for the better, but when it comes down to it, we lack the commitment. Exercising and eating healthy are perfect examples of our failure to commit.

My hubby and I even talked about people’s lack of commitment on our way over. Why aren’t people willing to commit to growing spiritually? Why won’t we commit to show up?

Not surprisingly, we had a fabulous time. There were three other couples and a delightful single lady. We were all different ages and backgrounds. We had a nurse and a firefighter, a teacher and a pilot, a widow and a graphic artist. We had retired people and people who still have kids at home. We had people at different stages of their faith walk.

So often in churches, we group ourselves with people who are just like us, raising kids, empty nesters, young couples, retired people or youth. We tend to stick with people who are at our same age and stage. I always have. But, here’s the thing, we miss out on a fabulous opportunity to learn from each other and to pass on wisdom and life experiences to each other. We miss a unique opportunity to grow our faith by being with people who see things differently because they have traveled a different path.

The twelve disciples weren’t all fisherman. Matthew was a tax collector. We don’t know about all of the rest of them, but their backgrounds varied. Peter was married, but we don’t get that information on all of them. They were most likely not all the same. They had different stories and each brought something different and unique to the table, just like we do.

Our first little video session was called, “Committing to Show Up.” I smiled when I saw it. I’m way too deep in my faith walk to believe in coincidences. I attended tonight because I had committed, not because  was in the mood, but I was so blessed because I did. How many other things would we be blessed with if we honored our commitments?

We commit to a lot of things. There are things like exercise and diet, but there are also things like building better relationships, or attending church more regularly, or reading the Bible daily, or setting daily prayer time, or serving others in some way. What would our lives look like if we honored those commitments? What would our world look like?

What if we just committed to show up? We might be delighted with the results. I can’t wait to go back to my next small group meeting.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Life Lessons from a Couple of Papillons

Posted on by Wendy
When we watch for God in the everyday, He always has something to teach us.
When we watch for God in the everyday, He always has something to teach us.

I am looking after my parents’ dogs for a few days while they take a vacation. The little darlings are poster children for high-strung. They bark constantly. They have to be fed twice a day with special food. The little one has to be hand fed most of the time or he won’t eat and they have to be leash walked rain or shine, even when it snows.

My parents love their dogs and I love my parents, so I look after them with a joyful heart, (most of the time), when they ask me to, which really isn’t that often.

My daily prayer is always that God will show Himself to me in some way, in the world around me. It’s often surprising where He shows up, but this time, it was through those two little dogs.

First of all, the smallest one, Levi, only wants to be in my lap. He would rather sit in my lap and be right by my side than eat. He wants constant contact, which can be quite annoying, but then it struck me the other day how God would love for us to pursue Him like that. What if our goal in life was constant contact with Him? What if we wanted nothing more that to be at His side? What if we put that contact and closeness before everything else in our lives, including food? What would our world look like?

I’ve been turning that little nugget over in my head for days now and have marveled at the very real concept that God placed right in front of me, thanking Him for the lesson and asking Him for more.

Well, you know what they say, careful what you ask for…. I was leash walking them at 6:00 AM, yesterday morning, inside our fence because their safety, due to their size, is a huge concern for me. We had an 80% chance of rain, which was no surprise. We always have rain when I’m dog sitting. It wasn’t raining yet and I felt like I had won the Lotto. Then I heard them.

There were coyotes nearby. They were howling and yipping at the tops of their lungs. I froze. Were we safe inside the fence? Could the coyotes hear us? Would they try to get to us? How far away were they? I expected the pups to freak out and bark. Nope. They went on about their business as I silently prayed for our safety. They finished and we quickly went into the house.

Those two little dogs never flinched. They never missed a beat, seemingly oblivious to the danger that was close by. Isn’t that how we are supposed to trust God? The Bible tells us over and over that we are not to fear worldly predators. We are supposed to pray and focus on our all-powerful God and know that He’s going to take care of us. He has a plan. We are loved and treasured and we need not fear. Our job is to have faith.

Once again, I learned a valuable lesson from those little dogs, reminding me once again that He is everywhere, always available to speak to us. The question is, are we willing to listen?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Being Thankful in Sickness and Health

Posted on by Wendy

 

We can always find something to be thankful for, even on sick days.
We can always find something to be thankful for, even on sick days.

I am getting over a bout of bronchitis. I finally gave up and went to the doctor on Friday at my hubby’s gentle nudging. I think he was concerned that I may actually cough up a lung in one of my coughing fits. The doc’s prescription was antibiotics and rest.

The antibiotic part was no big deal. It’s just taking a pill everyday, but rest for me, was a little trickier. I hate to just sit and do nothing. Even when I’m sitting, I’m often making some kind of plan, a grocery list, or a blog post, or plans for a vacation six months from now.

But, Saturday, I was completely wiped out and didn’t get out of my pajamas all day long. I felt like such a loser; but guess what? The world did not grind to a halt because I needed a sick day. The dog was happy to snuggle in my lap all day. My teenagers brought their respective electronics and joined me in the living room. They were perfectly happy to stay in their jammies too.

And as badly as I felt, I found myself giving thanks. First of all, I’m normally a healthy person. I feel good the vast majority of the time, something I’m ashamed to say, that I often take for granted. I thanked God for my health. It truly is a blessing that healthy people often forget.

I thanked God for family to help take care of me. Here again, we so often take for granted the family God has blessed us with. We see them everyday. They get on our nerves. We get on theirs, but family is a blessing.

I thanked God for medication. We live in a country where healing drugs are readily available. Bronchitis could easily kill someone who didn’t have access to antibiotics or even over-the-counter meds to take care of a fever.

I thanked God for my house. Shelter is another thing that we often take for granted. My home also has running water and heat, something people in many places in the world don’t have. I’ll bet yours does too.

I could have taken the day and wallowed around and felt sorry for myself. I could have lamented about the hairballs that needed vacuuming up. I could have pushed myself to get up and power through it somehow, but I didn’t.

I believe that our bodies are a gift. For us to be as effective as possible in using them to spread the love of Jesus, we have to work on keeping them well. When we get sick, I think we actually honor God by submitting to our exhaustion and resting, so that our bodies can heal. Perhaps it’s a show of humility to admit that we need rest. When we do, we are admitting that we aren’t perfect or bullet proof. We are simply humans who sometimes get sick.

When we humble ourselves and pray for healing, it’s also a perfect time to give thanks for all of those blessings that we sometimes forget in our daily rush. If we do that, perhaps we can get spiritual healing along with our physical healing and maybe that was what we were supposed to do all along. What do you think?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Seeing Jesus at Publix

Posted on by Wendy
You never know how far a few encouraging words can go.
You never know how far a few encouraging words can go.

I’ve been fighting a cold this past week. Each night I would go to bed hoping that tomorrow I would feel better. Each day, I woke up feeling a little worse. Yesterday, when I awoke, it took everything I had to get out of the bed as my throat and head battled over which would hurt worse.

My normally peaceful morning was also marred by an argument with my fifteen-year-old, daughter. I dropped her off at school after a long, silent ride and went home and fell back into bed for a little while.

I had so many things to do and of course, we were out of some essential groceries, like milk. I prayed that God would sustain me through the day. I prayed that He would show me His face. After I dragged myself up again and into the shower, I continued to pray for some sign of encouragement. Could He hear me? Was He listening?

I received an apology text from my daughter. She told me she just wasn’t “feelin’ it today.” Well, that made two of us. I told her it was no biggie. I try to model quick forgiveness for her, the best I can. That little exchange did my heart good, even though my head was still pounding.

When I got on the road, there was construction everywhere, stop and go. When I got to Sam’s Club, there were only two lines open with six people in each line. Sigh. When I got to Publix, things were looking up. I was almost done with my list, when I picked up a bottle of laundry detergent by the lid and it dropped and spilled, on the floor, on me, on the bottle itself. What a mess.

I couldn’t leave the mess. I told an employee about the floor, so no one would fall, and picked up the bottle and put it in my cart. It only seemed fair. Who would want to buy it? My hands were covered in the detergent when I went to check out. I explained to the cashier what had happened and asked for a paper towel. He insisted on getting me a new bottle and he gave me a wet wipe. I really do love that store.

Checking out in front of me was a couple from our last church. She heard the whole thing and before I knew it, she had come back around and was standing behind me. I’ve always had great admiration for this woman. I can see Jesus when I see her. She’s a tiny lady, but packed with power. There were many times over the years, when she went out of her way to thank me for my service to the kids or youth in the church. It was a really difficult decision for us, when we decided to leave, but I am still amazed at how kind everyone was.

Well, here we were at Publix; I was a mess inside and out at the moment, and she was a picture of peace and encouragement. She told me that she just wanted me to know how much she missed me and my family. She told me she understood our reasons and respected them, but just wanted me to know that we were missed and loved.

I was fighting tears at this point. I have always believed if you look for God in the world around you, He will show His face in often unlikely places. I desperately needed an extra helping of grace and encouragement and I asked. Once again, He provided, this time through a darling woman at the grocery store.

You never know the power of a little encouragement or a kind word. I always try to be the face of Christ when I leave my house, but today I got to see the face of Christ. Let me tell you; it was beautiful.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

A Call to Church

Posted on by Wendy

 

Christians are called to worship and grow with other Christians.
Christians are called to worship and grow with other Christians.

A friend of mine and I were discussing the sad, but all too often true, fact that people in churches don’t always act very Christlike. She said that her pastor had recently given a sermon about how people with impure hearts can poison a church.

I gave our conversation a lot of thought. I asked myself, where would Satan like most to be? At first, the obvious answer may be at the local strip cub or on the street corner with the drug dealers. But, how much further damage can he do at those places? When we dig deeper, I think the answer is most likely among Christian people and specifically in the Church.

In the very first chapter of Mark, in the Bible, Jesus comes across a man with an evil spirit in the synagogue. Does evil know no shame? Nope. Think about it a minute. Who are the people who are most capable of defeating evil? Christians. When are Christians the most powerful? They are the most powerful, when they are gathered together as a group, praying as one, with one vision and one heart and mind.

Where is that most likely to happen? Church. So, where would the one who lives to cause division, who lives to lie, cheat and steal want to be more than anywhere else? Yep, it’s the Church.

Now, don’t get me wrong. There’s no tug-of-war or great dueling scene between Jesus and evil in the Bible. When evil sees Jesus, it flees. When Christians keep their eyes focused on God and not themselves, the Church is unstoppable. It becomes a vibrant force to be reckoned with. But, when we become focused on ourselves or our own visions or desires and forget to pray and forget to wait on God’s answers or bend to His will, chaos occurs.

Chaos is ugly and painful. Chaos, disorder and hurt feelings are not part of Jesus’ plans for the Church. The Church is supposed to be a sanctuary where believers can grow in love and serve together. The Church is supposed to be a place where wounded souls and seekers can find rest and answers.

I recently read an article about how there are people who have spent their entire lifetimes attending church, who are leaving. They are sick of the fighting and people acting anything, but Christlike. They aren’t giving up their faith; they are giving up the Church. They are called the Dones.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. I get it. People can be a nightmare. People are broken. Broken people can say and do very hurtful things. Broken people can take their eyes off of God and can help cause chaos. But, we are all called to be a part of the Body of Christ with our unique gifts and talents. Most of the New Testament is dedicated to teaching that very concept.

We aren’t supposed to just decide that we’ve had enough. If we are breathing, Jesus wants us to participate with other Christians in some way, to spread the Good News. Sitting at home and reading the Bible, is not spreading the Good News. We can’t share wisdom with others sitting at home and we can’t learn from them either.

Perhaps what we really need to remember is that there is a force that would very much like for us just to stay mad and stay home. We’re much less effective there. But, Jesus has called us to love one another and to forgive, just like He did. Can not participating truly be an option?

I pray that all of the Dones will have a change of heart and return to the Church. We need each other. Non-believers need us. A dark world needs us to be united and to stand together. Isn’t that what we are called to do?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Why Are You So Afraid?

Posted on by Wendy

 

Blog pic

I had a cat named Lindsey when I was growing up. I found her and her sister in an ad in the paper. They were free. I was delighted. I had never had cats. When I took them for their shots, the vet informed me that they had ringworm on their ears. My mama was not pleased. Apparently, ringworm is very contagious. I was the only one who would touch those kittens those first few weeks we had them, while I treated them.

They healed nicely and I didn’t catch it, but I forged a nice bond with Lindsey. When the dogs would run her up a tree, I could call to her and she would jump to me. That’s fairly rare with cats. They aren’t very trusting souls, but she trusted me and I always delivered her.

I was reminded of Lindsey’s trust, when I recently  read the boat story in Mark, where Jesus was asleep and a squall came up. Waves were breaking over the boat and it was nearly swamped. The disciples were panicked and woke him up and asked him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” “He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the waves, ‘Quiet!’ ‘Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.” Mark 4:39

I’ve always liked that story. It shows the complete power of Jesus, but the next verse makes me squirm a little. “He said to his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Mark 4:40

Ouch! He saved them immediately, when they called on him, but he wasn’t very soothing at this point. They had seen him heal lepers, a paralyzed man, a man with a shriveled arm and countless others. They had seen him cast out demons and make people whole again. But, they still struggled with their faith.

Maybe they compartmentalized their faith. Maybe they had come to accept that Jesus could heal people, but they didn’t understand that the Son of God, could control nature as well. I think we may be guilty of that today too.

We pray about some things. We trust Jesus with some parts of our lives, but not all the parts. Maybe we happily pray for physical healing, but don’t trust Him to heal our hearts. Maybe we don’t believe that He can help us with forgiveness. Maybe we think that’s just too hard for Him. Maybe we don’t believe that He can heal emotional pain from our past. We just keep carrying it because we believe it’s just too hard for Him.

Nothing is impossible with God. We are told that more than once in the Bible, but God won’t wrestle our pain or anger or whatever burden we are carrying around, from us. We have to willingly give it to Him and trust. We have to stop being afraid and doubting that there’s anything out of God’s grasp to heal, or mend, or redeem.

Perhaps we need to be less like those men in the boat that evening and more like my cat. Maybe we should jump into the arms of Jesus and know that He will catch us, no matter what. That’s true faith.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

True Compassion

Posted on by Wendy
True compassion means reaching out to people who society may have labeled unworthy.
True compassion means reaching out to people who society may have labeled as unworthy.

Jesus healed many people in the Bible. I love the many different instances of His healing because they all show different sides of Him which help to lead to the heart of who He is.

In Mark 1:40-42, we find Jesus interacting with a man with leprosy. That in itself was not done. People were terrified of lepers and catching the dreaded disease and they had to live off by themselves with other lepers, separated from society and all of their family and friends.

The scripture tells us that, “A man with leprosy came and begged on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” I love Jesus’ response. “Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.”

Let’s look at the man first. He was at rock bottom. He had nowhere to go. Leprosy was a death sentence. People rarely recovered, cut off from everyone and everything that mattered to him, he seeks Jesus on his knees. He boldly states his faith, if you are willing, you can make me clean. He doesn’t ask if he can or if it’s possible. He knows Jesus can make him clean.

Before Jesus acts or says anything aloud to the man, the scripture tells us he was filled with compassion. Dictionary.com defines compassion as: a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate suffering.

Jesus felt sorrow for the man’s pain. He had a deep desire to heal and help. But, that’s the heart of who Jesus is, isn’t it? He would willingly go on to the cross to make us all clean.

Filled with compassion, He reached out and touched the man. Here’s another big taboo for the time. Healthy people never touched lepers. I’m sure that people with leprosy longed for human touch, for a hug from another person, but it wasn’t allowed due to fear. Jesus of course, had no fear as He reached out and touched him.

I can’t imagine the emotions running through the man’s mind, hope, fear, joy, excitement, as Jesus reached for him and said those words. “I am willing.” “Be clean!” The leprosy left him.

He could actually look down at his body and see that it was no longer ravaged by sores. He was healed. His faith had healed him and despite Jesus’ warning not to tell anyone, the man told everyone he met. How could he not?

An encounter like that with Jesus would have been impossible not to share. But, I think Jesus set a beautiful example here for all Christians.

First of all, we should all be filled with more compassion for the hurting world around us. It’s awfully easy to judge those people who we consider, unclean in some way, but Jesus didn’t judge. He had compassion. He was willing to help and we should be as well. How are we doing at reaching out to a hurting world full of people who feel that they are too unclean for Jesus, to unclean for grace?

We can’t heal them or make them clean, but we can point to the One who can. Isn’t that what we are called to do in whatever little way we can, in whatever little corner of the earth where we are? How are we doing with compassion?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Good Out of Place

Posted on by Wendy
If we pray about our weaknesses, God will help us.
If we pray about our weaknesses, God will help us.

My pastor discussed the concept of good out-of-place, in his Sunday sermon. He pointed out that most of the evil in the world begins with good intentions. He used wine as an example. Is wine bad? Is it evil? The concept had my mind spinning.

Jesus turned water into wine in the wedding at Cana. He drank wine at the Last Supper. Would Jesus drink something evil? Of course not. Wine in itself isn’t evil, but what humanity chooses to do with it can be. Is it wrong to drink a glass of wine with dinner? Jesus did, so I’m guessing, no. Is it wrong to drink a glass of wine to calm ourselves after a stressful day? Possibly, is drinking wine the only way we can tame our emotions? Could we take a walk or meditate or pray? Could we phone a friend?

I think the evil comes when we use it as a crutch. When we look to it for peace instead of to God. But, humanity struggles with that concept across the spectrum, don’t we? Our desire for more things, from cars, to clothes, to jewelry, to bigger houses, is another example of a crutch. The quest for more stuff keeps us prisoner. We look to it for comfort. It’s truly not much different from addiction.

Our desire to worship is ingrained and because of that, we have to be careful. We have an enemy that will exploit that need, if we allow it. One glass of wine after work becomes three. We can find ourselves unable to get through a day without a drink. Wine has become our idol.

Our obsession for that new car, makes the payments so high that we constantly argue with our spouse over finances. Our marriages get into trouble. Our family suffers. Who loves to see the family fail?

Perhaps we need to be very vigilant about keeping our eyes on God and asking ourselves some soul-searching questions regularly. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having a glass of wine if you enjoy it, but if you are drinking to escape your current reality, that’s another matter altogether. I certainly don’t think there’s anything wrong with buying new clothes or a new car. But, if you can’t afford it or if you are buying things you don’t need because they will make you feel complete somehow, you may have stumbled.

If anything we do hurts our marriages or family relationships, that’s always a big red flag. I think it comes down to the fact that we are all individuals, “fearfully and wonderfully made.” Because we are all unique, we have different strengths and weaknesses.

We can’t just ignore our weaknesses. We can pray for God to point them out to us so that we are aware of them, so that we can ask Him to help us deal with them. If alcoholism runs in our family, perhaps we shouldn’t drink. If our spending is out of control, perhaps we should get some debt counseling and cut up our credit cards. If compulsive gambling is an issue for us, that vacation to Las Vegas may be ill-advised.

God wants us to be the best we can be. How else can we serve Him to our best ability? To be the best, we have to work on breaking any bad habits and conquer any weaknesses that may be working against us. We can’t conquer them if we don’t know or can’t admit what they are.

If we keep our eyes focused on God and pray for strength and guidance, and lean into Jesus, he will help. “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”  2 Corinthians 12:9

What do you need to pray about today? He’s always listening.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂