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God is Our Refuge

When we remember what an extraordinary God we serve, everything else falls into perspective.

As I was discerning the passage for this week’s devotional, I felt God pulling me away from Acts and toward Psalm 57.

This psalm has been on my heart over the past few months, particularly as I’ve faced unknowns and entered new situations. Let’s read through this passage and ask God how He’s speaking to us today.

Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me,
    for in you I take refuge.
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings
    until the disaster has passed.

Psalm 57:1

This passage makes me imagine a warm, feathery bird wrapping its wings around little chicks in a thunderstorm. Together, they huddle in a little cave, kept safe by the parent bird’s wings. On their own, the little chicks wouldn’t be able to protect themselves in the storm. They would get all damp, cold, and muddy–they might even get swept away. But it’s within their parent’s nature to hold them close and keep them warm.

It’s within God’s nature to hold us close to His heart. Sometimes this means providing us comfort and rest. Other times, God sets us free to try out our own wings, but even then He is with us. He never lets us fly out of His loving sight.

How might you want to experience God’s refuge this week?

I cry out to God Most High,
    to God, who vindicates me.
3 He sends from heaven and saves me,
    rebuking those who hotly pursue me—
    God sends forth his love and his faithfulness.

Psalm 57:2-3

When we experience injustice, regardless of its magnitude, our natural instinct is to take matters into our own hands. But because we are broken people, we will never be able to handle situations perfectly on our own. When we rely on God to help us handle difficult situations, we will feel strengthened by His love and faithfulness.

What is a difficult situation you’re currently experiencing? How is God leading you to respond to it?

I am in the midst of lions;
    I am forced to dwell among ravenous beasts—
men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
    whose tongues are sharp swords.

They spread a net for my feet—
    I was bowed down in distress.
They dug a pit in my path—
    but they have fallen into it themselves.

Psalm 57:4,6

I’m not sure about you, but the most “ravenous beast” in my life is my growling dog guarding his treat. However, there can be metaphorical lions and beasts in our lives that cause us suffering.

For example, perhaps you have a difficult person in your life whose words have pierced you like sharp swords. Or maybe you’re facing a problem that feels as ginormous as a ravenous beast.

No matter what you are struggling with, God is bigger than it. Your burdens are too heavy for you to carry alone, but they will never be too much for God.

What is a burden that you’ve been reluctant to give to God?

My heart, O God, is steadfast,
    my heart is steadfast;
    I will sing and make music.
8 Awake, my soul!
    Awake, harp and lyre!
    I will awaken the dawn.

Psalm 57:7-8

Having a heart that’s steadfast means even when our circumstances aren’t ideal or our faith isn’t as fiery as in past seasons, we are still devoted to God. Often, the reason why we don’t feel as close to God isn’t because He’s gone anywhere, but because we haven’t taken the time to praise Him.

When our faith is reliant on God’s character rather than our shifting emotions and circumstances, we won’t fear losing our faith because it is grounded in what always stays the same: God.

Go through the alphabet and list out at least one corresponding characteristic of God for each letter. As a bonus, think of specific instances when you’ve witnessed God revealing that characteristic in your life or in the Bible.

I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
    I will sing of you among the peoples.
10 For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
    your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
    let your glory be over all the earth.

Psalm 57:9-11

When we step back and realize what an extraordinary God we serve, everything else falls into perspective.

Yes, there are frustrating, even harmful people, out there. Yes, the world is broken. Yes, we might be in the middle of a storm right now. There are so many difficult things in the world, things to be afraid of.

Except that the most powerful being in the universe loves us and has given us a purpose. He hasn’t abandoned us. He is here even now, wherever you are, listening patiently and ready to guide you on your life path.

We can be faithful to God by obeying His commands and asking for forgiveness when we make mistakes. We can obey God by transforming each day to become more and like Jesus through loving others, living out His truth, and cultivating the fruits of the Spirit.

Thankfully, our faith doesn’t rely on whether or not we do things perfectly. God’s faithfulness is perfect, and through it all, He is our refuge.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Psalm 46:1

Here is a wonderful worship song based on Psalm 57!

Discerning God’s Call

Do you ever wish you could directly hear God’s calling on your life?

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel a little jealous of the early Christians, mainly because of how clearly they heard God’s calling.

Take the disciple Philip, for example. The Holy Spirit whisked him away from one location to the next so that he would reach the exact people he was meant to reach (Acts 8:26-40). He likely didn’t spend days, weeks, months, or years on his knees asking God where he was meant to go. He was just sent!

In many ways, the early church’s relationship with God resembles the Israelites’ relationship with Him in the Old Testament. They heard God’s voice audibly and/or through His appointed prophets. They always knew what He wanted them to do, even if they unfortunately didn’t obey Him.

As I’ve been learning how to discern in my own life (without God’s audible voice telling me what to do), I came across this passage:

Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

– Acts 16: 6-10 (NIV)

Notice these phrases:

  • “having been kept by the Holy Spirit”
  • “but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to”
  • “concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them”

I was reminded through this passage that God spoke to the early church in different ways and He continues to speak to us in different ways, too. And even when He spoke directly to them through visions or the Spirit, they still had to exercise patience and discernment.

The Christians thought they were supposed to preach in one location, only for the Spirit to call them elsewhere. They might’ve felt frustrated or confused at first, wondering why God would tell them no. But they obeyed, allowing themselves to finally hear a direct calling from God.

You might’ve noticed that the vision didn’t come overnight. They traveled to multiple places, repeatedly being prevented by the Spirit (I’m curious what that looked like), from spreading the good news there. But once they heard the call, they “got ready at once,” or in some translations, “immediately” left for Macedonia.

The Greek translation for “calling” in verse 10 means “to call to one’s self, to summon, to invite”. When we wait and listen patiently for God’s call, we aren’t just waiting to hear what task He has in store for us. We are being invited into God’s presence. When we say yes to His call, we are being drawn closer to God’s own self.

Just sit with that for a moment. We, God’s mere creation, are given the invitation to be brought to God’s own self.

Even if that invitation is brought to us differently than it was in the past, it’s still the same invitation. An invitation to not only do God’s work, but to be part of God’s family.

Today, we have many ways to hear God’s voice, even if they feel less direct than in the past.

Here are a few examples:

  • Reading the Bible and getting to know God’s character and teachings so that we can discern what God might call us to do versus what would be sinful.
  • Spending time in Christian community and receiving wise counsel from people God chooses to speak through.
  • Praying to God directly and spending time in God’s presence, getting to know Him better so that we can become more like Him.
  • And most of all, as believers we still have the Holy Spirit living inside us.

The Spirit moves in many ways, whether through the above avenues, or through visions, prophetic words, or miracles. While we shouldn’t necessarily expect these less common things to happen, we should never place limits on what the Spirit can do. Even having the Spirit inside of us is supernatural in and of itself.

We often talk about how the Holy Spirit is living inside of us, but the Spirit is not limited to our bodies’ capabilities. When we realize we are just one little sliver of a reflection of God, as we are created in His image, we can tap into the supernatural fruits the Spirit offers: love, joy, peace and patience, to name a few.

I encourage you to spend time with God today and ask Him how He might be leading you. Have peace in the process, knowing that all good things take time. And being in God’s presence is the best thing of all.

Miraculous Prayer

Join us for this week’s devotional which introduces lectio divina and encourages us to reflect on Peter’s miraculous escape from prison.

For this week’s devotional, we’re going to do something a little different! There’s a spiritual practice called lectio divina, which centers around listening to what the Holy Spirit might be saying through scripture by rereading a shorter passage multiple times and asking ourselves different questions each time.

Before we get going, I’ll share some context about our passage.

As the early church gained believers, outside leaders, such as King Herod, grew angry and violent toward the Christians. Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples and a prominent leader in the early church, was arrested for preaching the good news of Jesus’ love and salvation. He was supposed to face a death sentence, until something unexpected happened…

One of my friends who introduced me to lectio divina always starts the process by asking the Spirit to be present with us, and I encourage you to do the same.

Holy Spirit come. Fill us with your presence and guide our reading today.

For our first reading, let’s just understand the story.

Today’s passage: Peter’s Miraculous Escape from Prison

So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

6 The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. 7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.

8 Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. 9 Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. 10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

11 Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”

12 When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. 13 Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”

15 “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”

16 But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17 Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,” he said, and then he left for another place.

– Acts 12:5-17 (NIV)

This time, close your eyes and listen to the reading (this is a recording of all of Acts 12, so feel free to pause when you get to verse 17). As you listen, notice if there are any words or phrases that stand out to you, and write them down.

For our third reading, listen to the passage again. Ask yourself these questions:

  • Which character do I relate to in this story?
  • How would I be feeling if I were in Peter’s shoes? Or in Rhoda’s shoes?
  • If I were one of the prayerful believers, would I have been surprised to see Peter survive?
  • Do I feel imprisoned or inhibited by anything today?

For our fourth reading, consider these questions:

  • How might the Spirit be speaking through this passage into a specific circumstance or relationship I’m experiencing?
  • How would I like to grow in my prayer life? How about in my faith?
  • What is a phrase or image that comforts me in this passage?
  • What do I think freedom through Christ means and feels like?

To end our lectio divina, pray and ask God to guide you in the challenges you may face in your faith and thank Him for His provision. Ask Him if there is someone in your life He wants you to pray for. Prayer is more powerful than we can even imagine!

Faithfulness Overcomes Brokenness

Learning from the early church’s faithfulness amidst great obstacles.

Have you felt disappointed in your church? Perhaps attendance is low or the preaching feels repetitive. Maybe there’s division in your church over political or doctrinal differences. Or perhaps everything seems okay on the surface, but there’s just something lacking.

While the early church in the book of Acts struggled with many of the issues we still have today, through their faithfulness to Jesus and commitment to gathering, they were able to survive and even enjoy times of peace and joy.

As we read through today’s passage, I want you to consider two questions:

  1. What act(s) of faith did the early Christians take in this passage?
  2. How were they blessed by their faithfulness?

Read:

Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. 20 At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. 21 All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” 22 Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.

23 After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him, 24 but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. 25 But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.

26 When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. 28 So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews, but they tried to kill him. 30 When the believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.

– Acts 9:19-31 (NIV)

We often forget what Saul (otherwise known as Paul) was like before he surrendered to Jesus and became the apostle who wrote most of the New Testament. The early believers had every reason to be afraid of him. He participated in the killing of their fellow believers, who were their friends and family.

Their first act of faith in this passage, taken first by Barnabas, was believing in the transformative work of the Holy Spirit. In order to be a Christian, you must believe that God is supernatural. Just as Jesus died and rose again, when we are saved, we go through the process of becoming a new creation.

But easier said than done when it means believing that another person, especially a person who has hurt us, has changed.

While Paul was was clearly zealous for the Lord, given that he put his life at risk to share the gospel, I’m sure the believers weren’t thrilled by the prospect of inviting him into their sacred spaces. They were putting their lives at risk.

Though once Barnabas shared Paul’s testimony, the believers were willing to accept that God’s powerful work had changed Paul’s heart. This act of faith revealed their deep trust in God with their lives.

Once they helped Paul, they experienced a time of peace and strength from the Holy Spirit. I believe that this peace and strength came out of their act of faith. They were confirmed in their trust in God, and they were strengthened by the testing of their faith.

Today, we aren’t often willing to go out of our comfort zone, especially to put ourselves at risk for others. What if we were not only more trusting in God, but we were also willing to sacrifice our own comfort or resources to help others, especially other believers? Imagine how bonded church communities would be if we were willing to sacrifice for each other.

Unfortunately, churches often make it their primary goal to increase the number of their congregants rather than focus on strengthening the relationships within their current congregation. While one of the blessings the early church received in this passage was an increase in believers, that only came after they were intentionally glorifying God and listening to the Holy Spirit.

What if we made it our mission to honor God, follow the leading of the Spirit, and love each other as Jesus loves us? I believe the numbers would follow, only because of our supernatural example of faithfulness.

Though it will take time, patience, and perseverance to see changes in our faith communities, and even in ourselves, with the help of the Spirit, all things are possible.

Reflection:

You may not be in a position to change your church’s mission, and that’s okay! Change starts with us individually when we align our hearts to Jesus.

  • How might God be calling you to act on your faith today?
  • How have you been influenced by someone’s selfless generosity before?
  • Who has God placed on your heart to intentionally show love toward today?

Prayer:

Thank God for specific ways He’s been faithful to you. Ask Him to help you discern how you might live out this passage today.

Encouragement Thursday Devotionals

Join us every Thursday for the next 4 weeks for encouragement from Acts!

Hey everyone! 🙂

I hope you are doing well. As I’ve been discerning how to reengage with this blog, I remembered “Encouragement Thursdays,” which I created because Thursdays have always felt like a “blah” day to me that could use a little encouragement. So I would intentionally post every Thursday to encourage all of you (and myself 🙂 ).

In a chaotic world, what we need most is rest and reconnection with the Lord. When we take the time to rest, we can turn back to Him and remember that He is faithful, so we should be faithful to Him.

For the next month, I will be sharing Encouragement Thursdays again, going through a few sections of Acts to explore how the early church was able to survive despite persecution, differences of opinion, leadership issues, and temptations — essentially the human brokenness we still experience today.

I hope you will join me in prayer that together, we can grow closer to God and deepen our understanding of His character, as well as learn how we are to live a life of faith and love to all those in our communities.

Life Update and Encouragement :)

He who promised is faithful ❤

Hey everyone!

I don’t know about you, but 2024 has been a whirlwind year thus far. Summer is often a great time to reflect on the past few months and consider the future with hope.

Thank you so much for sticking with me through this year! We’ve undergone some exciting changes, like finally getting our own domain (!!), adding a features section, and creating an inspirational video.

Personally, 2024 has been a year of transition. In June, I graduated college with my B.A. in Professional and Creative Writing. Leading up to that, I left one of my part-time jobs, gained more leadership responsibilities in my current job, lost a grandparent, found a new church, and experienced many relational highs and lows. It’s crazy how events and situations that carry such weight can be summarized in a few mere words!

On top of that, I’ve been asking God how He wants me to move forward in life, particularly with writing. I believe He’s led me to join a writing program that will equip me to complete longer, high quality projects in a faith-based environment. I’m excited to begin this program next month, though I admit I’ve been wrestling with anxiety over what comes after that.

Above all, God’s been gently reminding me that I need to surrender to His will. That’s a concept we don’t like in a very self-sufficient, independent society. We are comfortable when we feel like we have control.

But if I’ve learned anything over the course of my life, it’s that we are not in control. I am not in control. And maybe that’s for the best.

If you are struggling with this concept, remember the things you really wanted at earlier stages of your life, maybe even just a few years ago.

If your desires came into fruition, how would your life be different now?

What would you have missed out on if you had gotten what you wanted?

Often, because we can’t see the big picture, our desires aren’t in alignment with what’s best for us. Even when we make mistakes and chase harmful desires, we are not powerful enough to thwart God’s plan for us. When we turn to Him and ask for help, we will start to see how He can redeem any situation.

And when we are following Him, we will be safest of all.

That doesn’t mean we won’t experience pain and hardship, but it does mean we have peace knowing we are on the right path, protected by our Shepherd. We are not walking the path of life alone.

As I head into this next season of life, I will discern how God wants to shape The Will to Wake Up. Even if posts continue to be irregular (I’m so sorry!) or the formatting shifts a bit, I hope you will continue to be part of this community.

Thank you for your patience, support, and encouragement! God bless you. ❤

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

– Hebrews 10:23-25 (NIV)

Reflection Questions:

  • What is one way you’ve needed to trust God in 2024?
  • What is something you’ve learned through a recent hardship?
  • Who is someone you’ve grown closer to this year?
  • What is an unexpected blessing you’ve experienced recently?
  • What do you hope for in the coming months?

5 Tips for Restoring Your Love of Reading

I hope these simple practices help you as much as they’ve helped me!

Upon graduating college, I realized that even after earning a degree in English, all my years in school had stolen my enjoyment of reading!

School and technology have taught us to skim texts for key details rather than slow down and enjoy the journey. And when we’re required to spend hours reading books that feel either uninteresting or purposeless to us, we are more likely to hesitate in spending free time reading.

I can’t blame school entirely, though. It’s hard to prioritize reading when there are so many other entertainment options out there. But nothing beats being immersed in a wonderful story.

If you’re like me and you miss leisure reading, then you’ve come to the right article! Here are five (plus one) key practices you can use that will hopefully spark your love of reading again.

Listen to AudioBooks

If you’ve found yourself skimming or losing focus while reading, then perhaps you’d enjoy listening to a story rather than reading it. Audiobooks allow us to slow down and pay attention. They are even more fun when the voice actor(s) get into character!

Audiobooks also have the perk of allowing us to multitask while listening. Just make sure you’re doing an activity that doesn’t require too much thought, or else you might realize you missed a significant detail in the story!

You can access audiobooks through paid subscriptions like Audible or Spotify, but my favorite way to listen is free through my local library app!

Reread a beloved classic

My all-time favorite story is The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe. What’s yours? Have you reread it lately?

We often discount our classic favorites (whether they be ‘true’ classics or contemporary classics) because we deem them childish. However, children’s and young adult literature contain valuable lessons and compelling journeys. Writing to a younger audience often requires even stronger writing skills because authors have a stricter set of parameters to follow.

Sometimes, we just need to know we can finish a book, even a shorter one with more comprehensible language. Write down your top five favorite childhood/YA books and then read them again! You might be more encouraged than you realize.

start a book club

This one might seem daunting, especially if you’re struggling to even finish one book on your own. However, there is truly power in numbers. Sometimes, we just need one other person alongside us with a similar goal!

Your book club could consist of you and one other person, or you could gather a group of people to read with you. All you have to do is find someone who is willing to devote time to reading again. Then, pick a book you both would enjoy and find time to regularly discuss it.

This will not only keep you accountable, but it will also deepen your understanding of the book when you hear someone else’s perspective on it!

Move chapter by chapter

Perhaps the reason why you haven’t been able to read lately is because you don’t have enough time. That’s okay! We all have busier seasons of life, but even in those seasons we must find time to rest and restore.

If reading is restorative to you, consider blocking out time each day to simply read one chapter of a book. Or if the chapters in your novel are too long, then set a goal to read for a specific period of time each day, like twenty minutes. It’s okay if it takes you a long time to complete a book. All that matters is you are enjoying the process.

read in a new location

Reading allows us to enter new worlds and explore new possibilities. But perhaps escaping through the printed pages isn’t exhilarating enough for you. Maybe you need to find an interesting new location to read.

Here are a few ideas to get you started in your search for the perfect reading spot:

  • A local park
  • By the beach
  • In a quiet coffee shop
  • At the library
  • In your backyard
  • In a location that’s similar to a setting in your story

Extra tip: ask friends for reading recommendations!

For my birthday, one of my friends gave me a book list of her personal recommendations. Not only did this help me go in more openminded and trusting that with a fair shot, these would be interesting stories, but I ended up loving her selections!

If you are looking for some recommendations, here are a few of mine organized by genre:

Classic:

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

YA:

So Not Happening by Jenny B. Jones

Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan

Children’s:

The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary

Poetry:

All Along You Were Blooming by Morgan Harper Nichols

Historical:

The Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse

Daughter of Rome by Tessa Afshar

Just Mercy by Brian Stevenson (nonfiction)

Mystery:

The Maid by Nita Prose

Allegorical:

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis

Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard

Writing Advice:

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Christian Nonfiction:

Letters to the Church by Francis Chan

Now and Not Yet by Ruth Chou Simons

Breath as Prayer by Jennifer Tucker

Comment below your favorite book and what you love most about it!

Surrendering Your Tomorrows

Ask God to help you release your plans and unknowns into His hands.

When you think about the future, how do you feel?

You might feel excited about all your plans. You might feel anxious by your lack of plans. You might feel exhausted thinking about even the prospect of making plans.

While planning can help us make good use of our time, we must hold our plans lightly. Following Jesus requires us to take each step forward in His footsteps, even if they lead down a path we didn’t plan to walk through. When we commit to following Jesus, we enter into the process of surrendering our will to Him over and over again.

But what does surrendering our will mean?

In the simplest sense, our will is our plan for our lives. Our plans can involve our hopes and dreams, our greatest fears, and even the little desires we lock tight in our hearts.

When we surrender our will to Jesus, we can tell Him what we want to do, but we are open to change course as He directs. This takes a great deal of trust since essentially we are giving Jesus the most valuable thing we have: our lives.

But since Jesus was the one who gave us life, He knows how to best use our lives to grow and shape us into beacons of His light and love.

There are so many beautiful aspects of surrendering to Jesus, even though it is challenging and requires sacrifice. Jesus’ will for us is far greater than we could ever imagine, which means when you offer your life to Him, you will be surprised by how Jesus can transform you.

There are two major temptations to avoid when considering your future, which we are warned about in the Bible.

The first is fearing for tomorrow:

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

– Matthew 6:34

The second is boasting about your plans:

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

– James 4:13-14

It is natural to be worried about the unknown, but when you are in constant panic about it, you are grasping for your will back, not ready to trust Jesus fully.

It is okay if you are at the stage of learning not to fear. I am still working through that as well. Surrendering is a process, not a one-time decision.

There will be some seasons that are easier to trust Jesus than others, but Jesus is ready and willing to walk alongside you through the journey of learning to trust in Him.

It is also natural to get excited about the future, which is wonderful and even an act of trust all on its own. But when we start to boast about our plans, we turn the spotlight back on ourselves.

We have a limited knowledge of the future and we must take life day by day. If we get too far ahead of ourselves, we may fall into the trap of pride and find that we are trusting in our own plans again rather than God’s.

Today, as you think about tomorrow and the days that follow it, ask yourself what aspects of your life are you still worried about? What situations or relationships or opportunities are you struggling to surrender to God?

Pray and ask Him to help you release your future into His hands. And who knows? You may be taken on a path going the opposite direction, but a path better suited for God’s wonderful purposes in store for you.

 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

– James 4:15

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. 

– James 4:7-8

You are Growing, Too

Do you feel burned out by trying to keep pace with others in your life who seem to be ahead?

Hurry is the great enemy of the spiritual life in our day. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life… There is nothing else.

– Dallas Willard

A little over a month ago, we set twelve pots out on our back patio and planted different seeds inside each of them. I was amazed to see green shoots poking up out of nine of the pots within a week after planting. However, there seemed to be nothing growing in the last few pots.

We assumed the birds had eaten the seeds, and we cut our losses, just grateful that most of the plants were growing. (I’m no green thumb, so having even one successful plant is a win!)

But I was taken by surprise today as I was about to dig up the soil in the seemingly barren pots and plant new seeds inside, only to find tiny green sprouts rising up to greet me. I was so glad I had slowed down and noticed them in time, and I felt a little guilty that I hadn’t given them more time to grow at their own pace.

We live in a very hurried society. Our attention spans are shorter, we are lonelier because we don’t make time to just be with people, and we are ranked by our efficiency. But when we hurry, we miss out on the subtle growth happening around us and within us on a daily basis.

Hurry is the enemy of love.

– Steve Biddulph

Our fear of falling behind stems from comparison. When our lives aren’t on the same trajectory as those around us, we begin to worry we aren’t growing fast enough, or even at all. This causes us to forget to be grateful and to feel like failures when we’re not. We’re just designed to move at a different pace, and that’s okay!

How can we enjoy life if we are always in a rush? Stopping and smelling the roses is such a cliché, but perhaps we need more of that mentality in our lives. We may miss opportunities for beauty and joy if we don’t pause regularly.

How can we truly love others when we are constantly moving from one thing to the next, always trying to better ourselves and up our statuses? Imagine how you’d feel if a loved one took time out of their day to listen to you and laugh with you and comfort you. To do nothing together. When’s the last time you did that with someone?

Finding someone to do nothing with can be harder than finding someone to do a hobby with or work on a project with. But perhaps those are the kind of friends to surround yourself with. It means they are there to be with you and nothing else.

This isn’t a call to “waste” time. It’s a call to figure out what your priorities are. To see if perhaps your fatigue or anxiety or stress could be soothed by the simple, yet vital practice of rest.

God calls us to rest. That’s why He created the Sabbath. When we rest, we have the energy to perform well in the other aspects of our lives. When we rest, we have the capacity to love others well. When we rest, we are aware enough to notice the ways we are growing, too.

How might God be calling you to slow down and rest today? Listen to Him and realize that rest is a sacred practice that you are meant to enjoy. You are worthy of rest.

Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. 

– Hebrews 4:1-2

How Do You Want to Be Loved?

When you understand how you want to be loved, you will no longer find yourself drawn to inauthentic relationships.

To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.”

-Timothy Keller

We speak a lot about love in this world. In society, we are taught that self-love is most important. At church, we are taught that no one can love perfectly except God, but that true love takes sacrifice, a dying to our flesh. These ideas intermingle in our minds, but often feel unclear.

We are born with the desire to be loved. Why else would we be in community? Why else would we have friends or romantic partners and partake in ceremonies that celebrate undying love, like weddings?

There is something so beautiful and so incomprehensible about love. As humans, we want to explain what love is. We want to put borders around love. We like to say that love means acceptance or second chances or blind trust.

But we cannot explain love because God is love and God cannot be fully explained, at least to our humble minds. And God’s abilities are limitless.

However, it’s not wrong to explore what love means to you. Perhaps it can even help you grow in your understanding of God, too.

Even those who have never known or heard of God crave His unconditional love. This is the love spoken of in the quote by Timothy Keller. A love that knows, chooses, liberates, challenges, and ultimately betters us for the kingdom of God.

This love is so rare in the world. We cannot love perfectly, but we can still try. And when we fail, we can turn to the one who loves us perfectly and ask for His help.

When you understand how you want to be loved through a godly lens, you will no longer find yourself drawn to relationships that aren’t built on authentic love. You will recognize who in your life only “loves” you for what you do for them or who they think you are, even if you are someone completely different. You will no longer gravitate toward superficial love, but pursue deep, soulful love.

There might be times when there aren’t people in your life who can love you this way. Those times are lonely and painful, but they are also times when, if you allow yourself, you will experience God’s love in the deepest way possible. He will meet you in these moments. God is not afraid of the darkness because He is the light.

And these times of loneliness will not last forever.

But how do you know what kind of love God offers and what kind of love we should extend upon others?

Spend time with God and ask Him. Search His word. Study Jesus’ interactions in the New Testament. Listen to God’s promises in the Old Testament.

God promises to heal us (Isaiah 57:18), provide us hope (Romans 15:13), sanctify us (John 17:17), prepare a place for us believers in Heaven (John 14:3), and love us for all eternity, going so far as to sacrifice His own Son for a relationship with us (John 3:16).

The fruits of the Spirit are born out of the love God has for us, and He offers us these fruits when we choose to follow Him:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance [patience], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

-Galatians 5:22-23

Once we accept the love God has for us, we are equipped to love those around us. Imperfectly, yes, but through God’s grace and power, they may still experience God’s perfect love through us.

Now the question is, how are you being called to love others today?

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

-1 Corinthians 13:1-3