Sunday, November 15

So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer,
believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Mark 11:24

I'm sure everyone has heard the phrase, "be careful what you pray for, you never know what you might get." Doesn't this give us a better picture? The God that loves and cares for us makes this promise and we don't have to worry. I find myself many times praying "Lord, give me the strength to do what is required of me." Sometimes I even say "what You want me to do." It's not always easy but I try very hard to believe that he backs me up. There are many times when I know I would not have succeeded on my own. There are times that I have accomplished the task very easily and I forget who helped me.
As I continue on my faith journey I often wish the easier tasks were more frequent. But, then I would never remember to say "Thank You" to the right person

Prayer: Dear Lord, Thank You for all the easy and hard tasks. Make me mindful of all that You do, give me the strength to continue on the path that You are leading me on.

Monday, November 16

The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
Psalm 19:9

I don't know about the oppressed part but, I know about the times of trouble part. Haven't we all found ourselves with a problem and turn to God for help? Sometimes it is the last thing that we do when it is really the first thing that we should do. How hard it is to sometimes simply say "help." We know that He is there waiting for us, we simply don't always have the strength to just let go and let Him do what He has promised.

Sometimes I feel that He may be challenging me to "just say yes." We have been encouraged to say no to so many things that it has become very easy to say the opposite, especially where someone else is trying to lead us.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to be the person you are trying to lead. Let me hear what You have to say and respond in a positive manner.

Tuesday, November 17

For every thing there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to weep, and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.
Ecclesiastes 3:1&4

These are words that have followed me since I learned how to turn on and tune in the radio. In the first part of my faith journey I was not allowed to read that Bible. Besides, most of it was in Latin so I had no clue what was being said anyway. Imagine my surprise when I found out where these "lyrics" really came from.

The fact that I can continue to read and believe in these words is very exciting to me. I often think that I don't have the time for such feelings and nonsense. He makes me take the time by springing the emotion or motion on me when I really need it. How many times do we see a friend and just say two words about an experience and both are laughing (or crying)? Do you find yourself dancing with a child or grandchild when the music is fun and has a good beat?

The freedom to do these things is wonderful. Remember to take the time to do and enjoy it.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for the music. May we always take the time to enjoy the beat and keep on moving.

Wednesday, November 18

Grandchildren are the crown of the aged,
and the glory of children is their parents.
Proverbs 17:6

I am a grandmother and I love it! I have been a sister, aunt, cousin, friend and a mom. These have all been great rolls to have in this life but, grandchildren are really a crown. They make you look at life a little differently than trying to raise your own children. I actually have the time to sit and play with them.

My husband and I spent a lot of time with our children, knowing that the time would go by fast and we wanted to experience as much as we could with them. Spending time with the grandchildren is different. The mundane tasks of parenting are not yours, thats why they have parents. We get to teach, read and play with them. And, they are all so smart and beautiful. Grandparents have bragging rights and we can smile when we see their parents struggling to say no.

I love telling my kids that I've been there, done that and they survived. I also love seeing their faces as it dawns on them that I still love them no matter what.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for children. Help me always to remember they are Your creation, even when they are irritating.

Thursday, November 19

And the king will answer them,
"Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one
of the least of these who are members of my family,
you did it to me.”
Matthew 20:40

How familiar these words are to all of us. They are words that I try to remember when someone is not as smart (fast, clean, dressed as nice etc.) as I want them to be. It reminds me that I need to be more patient and understanding, less critical and feel less superior. This doesn't always work out, but I continue to try.

I also thought about them as my husband and I left Michigan, in a snow storm, to go to Arkansas. We sure got some funny looks when we appeared in our down jackets and Sorrels. I'm sure people thought "hicks." I don't think they were impressed with the salt on our car or the Michigan plates that were rusted from the same. It seemed strange to think that we may have appeared as having the least rather than our usual great feeling of having all the extra gear you need to get through some of our winters. Oh well, it was just another one of His ways of making us rethink a situation.

Prayer: Dear Lord, Thank you for giving us extras. Help us to remember to share them with others and to remember that we all are all your family.

Friday, November 20

And forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.
Luke 11:4

Last Lent we studied the Lord's prayer as part of our Wednesday night services. Several of us were asked to take a section and do a short homily on it. I chose this part and will share with you what I said.

How great is our Lord, He forgives us. No questions asked, no penance to due. Just accept his forgiveness. He also forgets what we have done. There is one part in there that we do have to remember: For we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. We may say we forgive somebody but, do we remember the forgetting part? It's sometimes easier to hold on to the problem than it is to forgive and forget. That not forgetting part takes a lot of time and energy. My dad was one of those people who didn't always forget. Sometimes I think it caused him to miss out on a lot of new and fun experiences.

I would like to remind everyone to forgive and forget. It's not as easy as it sounds and can be a great challenge for some of us. But, you should try it, you'll like it!

Prayer: Dear Lord, Thank you for forgetting. Please give me the strength to do the same.

Saturday, November 21

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul;
the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple.
Psalm 8:7

God's laws. We've all studied them, the Ten Commandments. I want to know about the simple part. Each of us has one or more of those commandments that are not simple. I'm sure that this is not some kind of a news flash to anyone.

One that I struggle with is wanting. It seems like I always want something. It's not always the most expensive toy on the shelf or the biggest car or lots of money. It just seems to me to be greedy when I want something else in life.

God has provided all I need. He gives me the courage to sit and write about my faith journey, the ability to read what other people have written in their devotions. But, still I want. I want more strength to do his work. Stronger belief so I can always see what He is trying to show me. Stronger faith so support others in their faith journey. I also want to be able to fix things without waiting for anyone else's time frame. How silly that all really seems, but it's true.

I know other people have patience and strong beliefs. That only (sometimes) makes me feel more guilty and want more. No one ever said it was going to be easy being a Christian. I didn't realize that patience was also a part of the story.

Prayer: Dear Lord, give me the patience and understanding that I need to continue to believe. Thank you for all the great teachers and mentors you have already provided.