Sadly, it’s a difficult place for most of us to achieve. We stay out on the skinny branches all alone wondering if we can survive or if wolves will come and tear us apart. We’re always slightly on edge.
Paul reminds us that we don’t have to be. He says that he doesn’t let what is going on outside affect what is happening to him on the inside. He’s free to find the good in every opportunity. He’s able to see that he is not alone. He sets his focus on Jesus and accepts the strength that he then receives.
As you look out at the world today, remember, you have the option of giving your day over to the One who can provide the strength to sustain you and bring you contentment.
Trust and lean on the strength of Jesus to be fully content.
IN THE QUIET OF THE DAY
Lord, strengthen my steps today as I look to you. Help me trust and to lean on you for all that I am. Help me breathe in the peace that only you can give. Amen.
The Child within You
People were bringing children to Jesus so that he would bless them. But the disciples scolded them. When Jesus saw this, he grew angry and said to them, “Allow the children to come to me. Don’t forbid them, because God’s kingdom belongs to people like these children.”
—Mark 10:13-14
You probably know people who are seriously adult. They carry their “grown-up-ness” around like it’s a badge of honor. They’ve got weighty matters on their minds all the time and they’ve somehow forgotten to smile, to ease up on themselves and others, and simply to play.
When was the last time you gave yourself a play date? When was the last time you let the kid in you have fun and laugh for almost no reason, or hope in something that just seems crazy ridiculous to the adult mind? Remember the kid who hoped for a pony?
Make it a point today to look for those people who smile for no apparent reason. Discover those who befriend you in an instant because they simply trust in the good will and the good nature of others. Notice how freely they allow the love within them to flow and how quickly others respond to even their smallest gestures. It’s childlike faith. The kingdom of heaven is made for people like that.
Like a kid, laugh and smile at the little things you find throughout the day.
IN THE QUIET OF THE DAY
Lord, help me reconnect with the child within me. Help me notice the little things that bring such joy to every day. I thank you for loving me so much. Amen.
Simply No Comparison
Each person should test their own work and be happy with doing a good job and not compare themselves with others.
—Galatians 6:4
From your first day at school, you were compared with others. You may have heard your teacher remarking about how well some other kid could draw, or you may have heard your parents compare you to your siblings. You discovered there were kids who were more praised than you were because they could read or they could play the piano. You learned you might not be good enough for the world, and you were only six years old.
You moved on to high school and college, doing your best to be yourself. You looked at others and envied the ones with the brains or the charm or the beauty and wished you could be more like them. You went on to work and discovered that the comparisons hadn’t stopped. The person who had the job before you was beloved. You looked for a life partner, only to find out that people were chosen for a lot of superficial reasons.
Where does it stop? When does it happen that you can be totally happy being yourself, being uniquely the person God wanted you to be? The answer is right now! Right now, you can stop all the stories in your head about what else you should, could, or would be, and simply be a person where there is no comparison, because you are fabulous just as you are!
Accept that you are totally the person you were meant to be.
IN THE QUIET OF THE DAY
Lord, thank you for making me unique. Help me have confidence in all that I am and try to not compare myself to others. Thanks for loving me so much. Amen.
A Worthy House
When you go into a house, say, “Peace!” If the house is worthy, give it your blessing of peace. But if the house isn’t worthy, take back your blessing.
—Matthew 10:12-13
What is a worthy house? Is it one that is kept neat and tidy, where everyone speaks kindly to everyone else? Is it one where the woman does all the cooking and the cleaning and the man does all the yard work and washes the car? Are they deemed worthy if they read the Bible or if they read Shakespeare?
What about your house? Is it worthy? Is it welcoming to those who come calling? Chances are it is and that any visitors to your door would be more than happy to offer a blessing on your house, asking God for his favor, and informing others that you have a house that embraces visitors.
Perhaps what we seek then is to be at peace with God. When we are, the feeling of joy and acceptance and love permeates the house and so when others come into our homes, they feel it too. We have created a home worthy of blessing because Christ is the true center of all we do.
Create a home of peace worthy of blessing.
IN THE QUIET OF THE DAY
Lord, most of the time I am at peace in my heart, and I do my best to share that sense of joy and gentleness that comes from you. Help me create a home that is worthy of your peace. Amen.
Ongoing Training
Train children in the way they should go; when they grow old, they won’t depart from it.
—Proverbs 22:6
We may look at this verse as one that reminds us to discipline children so that they will grow emotionally and faithfully strong and healthy. Indeed, that is something to be taken to heart, but what else is involved with training besides discipline? What else can we give our children so that when they grow older, they will pass along the things we’ve taught them?
When we consider the kind of love God has for us, it’s hard to imagine how we can parent in a way that reflects his desires for our good. The truth is, we raise our children desiring more than anything that they grow up strong in the Lord, true to themselves, and humanitarian in their approaches to others. We want them to be kind and giving and generous to those around them—to their “neighbor,”