Pieces of the Puzzle

But the LORD is the one who is marching before you! He is the one who will be with you! He won’t let you down. He won’t abandon you. So don’t be afraid or scared!” ~ Deuteronomy 31:8

One of the biggest battles that Satan wages against us is getting us to believe that we are alone. I find myself falling into this trap often. This is a good verse to carry around in your heart. Deuteronomy 31:8 says that God will go before me, He will be with me and He won’t abandon me. This verse tells me that God won’t abandon me so I shouldn’t be afraid.

Recently I read something Joyce Meyer wrote, “Satan wants you to believe you are alone. He wants you to believe that no one understands how you feel, but his claims are false. In addition to God being with you, many believers understand what you are experiencing mentally and emotionally.” Satan wants me to lose sight of the simple truths found in the Bible. It is easy to forget that God wants to comfort us and deliver us when we are in the middle of pain and loss.

Part of the loneliness trap that Satan sets for me is playing the game of not sharing what is going on in my life. Then I get mad when no one notices that my life is falling apart. It is as if I just expect people to see the pain that I am going through but if I don’t open up and share what is going on in my life, then how do they know to reach out to me. I have a responsibility to meet people half way in relationships. Finding people that are “safe” to share my hurts and sorrows with takes time. But if I do not get involved and discover the people that God has placed within my reach then I am falling for the lies that Satan tells me and I will continue to find myself alone.

Heavenly Father, help me to hide in my heart the truth. You are with me and will never leave me alone. You provide for all my needs. Open my eyes to know the friendships you have set in place for me and close my ears to Satan’s lies. Amen.

Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will run away from you. ~ James 4:7 (CEB)

One area that Satan can get at me is through my disappointments. Satan is right there waiting to attack me when I am at my lowest. When things don’t go the way I thought they should, I wonder “why did I get my hopes up so high”, “I know better”, “I am worthless”, “I should have known nothing good is meant to come my way”. These are lies that Satan feeds me. This is not life as God means for us to live. He wants us to have joy, even among the pieces of our shattered hopes and dreams.

Jesus came to minister to the broken hearted, the oppressed, the hopeless. He came so that I might have life. Satan doesn’t want me to live, so he feeds me lies to keep me in death. Jesus wants me to live so He came into the world to breath new life and hope into my heart. If I believe the lies that Satan feeds me then I will stay defeated and my heart dies slowly bit by bit every day. If I hear God’s truth that I am worthy and that He wants to bless my life beyond what I can ever imagine than I can LIVE. My disappointments don’t define who I am. God’s love for me is the only definition that I need to know.

Jesus is waiting on the sidelines offering me hope amidst the disappointments of life. Satan wants me to stay defeated. Christ came so that I can have hope. Christ came so that I can live. I need to hide these truths deep within my heart so that I can resist the lies that Satan wants to feed my soul.

Sometimes Lord, the lies seem louder in my ears than your promises. Help me hide your truths deep in my heart so that when the noise of Satan threatens to overwhelm me Your truth will bubble up and overflow until I can no longer hear anything but Your love for me. Amen.

God created humanity in God’s own image, in the divine image God created them, male and female God created. ~Gen 1:27 (CEB)

We are made in God’s image.The Bible tells us that God is love. It also tells us that God is a creator. While most of us acknowledge some ability to love, many think that we possess no capacity for creativity. I have met many people who think they lack creativity because they cannot make art, but they can create a lovely meal from scratch or conduct a meeting where opposing constituents work out a compromise. Karla M. Kincannon in her book Creativity and Divine Surprise reminds us that “Creativity is so much more than art making. It is a tool for navigating through everyday experiences to find the sacred in the God-given moment. Those who believe they lack creativity have relegated it to remote regions of their life, burying it under the need for security, approval, and control. However, like love, which is stronger than death, creativity does not die; it simply waits to be unearthed and set free.”

Set me free O Lord, of any insecurities that live deep in my heart. Help me to reflect Your love and Your creativity in all I set out to do. Inspire my work, fuel my creative energy and send music for my soul. May my plans Honor Your plans for us. Amen.

“He said to me, My grace is enough for you, because power is made perfect in weakness. So I’ll gladly spend my time bragging about my weaknesses so that Christ’s power can rest on me”~ 2Cor 12:9

So often I get frustrated with all that “I am not”. The key in that is frustration. If I am feeling frustrated then somehow God is not in the situation. Jesus did not come to earth, die on the cross, and rise again on the third day for us to feel frustrated, weak and defeated. He went through all that to give us an inheritance, authority in this life and His strength to rule over our circumstances.

In any area where we stumble, God is ready and willing to provide us with His strength. It seems crazy but in 2 Cor 9:12 it says that we should BRAG about our weaknesses! Why? Not for a false humility but because when we brag about our weaknesses, Christ’s power can rest on us! When we are weak we have God’s perfect strength.

Lord, help me this day to remember that your grace is enough for me. Help me when I get frustrated over my weaknesses and my inabilities to remember that these are God moments made special for me. In my weaknesses I find your powerful strength to get me through the day. Amen.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; don’t rely on your own intelligence. Know him in all your paths, and he will keep your ways straight. ~ Proverbs 3:5-6 (CEB)

Oh, here we go, taking self out of the picture again. Trust in God, not me. Rely on His intelligence, not mine. But that isn’t all. The only self that should still be in the picture is in the form of self-control and self-discipline. These help establish boundaries and boundaries help us live a purposeful life that can sidestep most carelessness.

Knowing God’s word intimately helps me to understand and know what boundaries are important to keep my path through life straight and help keep getting lost down to a minimum. I also need to learn to give myself space on this path, margins that allow for a little weaving between the ditches of life.  When I work in needed space in my life, it is like padding for the bumps (stress) in the road that is bound to show up from time to time. If I do not work in extra space (time) into my schedule then when I swerve because of a bump then before I know what happens I end up in a ditch!

For me, sometimes “padding” means not being so hard on myself when life happens. Those things that are out of my control are going to happen, and I just need to roll with those bumps, shake myself off and stick to the path God has laid out for me. “Padding” also means for my trust in God to see me through all situations. From my children’s welfare to the roof on my house, I need to be assured that God has my back. Finally, “padding” comes in the form of reading God’s word so that I can know and understand what God’s path is for me.

Father in Heaven, I thank You for Your word where I can learn what boundaries are good for my life. Help me put Your word deep in my heart so that it will be well padded for all the bumps that life brings. Amen.

God created humanity in God’s own image, in the divine image God created them, male and female God created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and master it. Take charge of the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and everything crawling on the ground.” Then God said, “I now give to you all the plants on the earth that yield seeds and all the trees whose fruit produces its seeds within it. These will be your food. To all wildlife, to all the birds of the sky, and to everything crawling on the ground—to everything that breathes—I give all the green grasses for food.” And that’s what happened. God saw everything he had made: it was supremely good. There was evening and there was morning: the sixth day. ~Genesis 1:27-31

A few years ago, my son came home from his last day of classes. He couldn’t wait to show me the sock monkey he has been laboring over for so very long. Proudly he pulls the sock monkey out and presents him with all grandeur and pomp. “See mom, here he is. He may be a little funny looking, but he was made with LOVE!!” He was right, it was a little funny looking but he was so proud of that sock monkey he had created himself.

As I remember that little sock monkey, my heart can’t help but trip a little at its crooked smile and wonky ears. The monkey’s stitches show and we haven’t gotten around to finishing up his arms but that doesn’t diminish my son’s love for this monkey.

When I look in the mirror, so often I notice my own stitches showing, my crooked smile, eyes that aren’t the same size. I know all the parts that still need to be finished. Despite all that is wrong with me, I have a Creator in heaven that looks down with love and says, “I know she may be a little funny looking and she still has some parts that need to be worked on, but I made her with LOVE!!”

Lord, help me rest in Your assurance that I have been made with love. You call me good, supremely good with my stitches showing, my crooked smile and areas that still need some work. May I ever be grateful for the grace You extend to me. Amen

Let’s not get tired of doing good, because in time we’ll have a harvest if we don’t give up. ~Galatians 6:9 (CEB)

No matter what is going on in our lives we must never give up. In the scripture on God’s Armor (Eph 6:10-18) it ends the section with “no matter what, persevere.” This is easy to throw around but how do you even begin to persevere in a world that is full of all kinds of problems, frustrations and difficulties? I persevere by my diligence in prayer, resolving to stay the course, unwavering faith, and determination to stand firmly on God’s Words and His promises for me.

It gets frustrating how slowly things seem to be moving sometimes. It is easy to think that God isn’t dealing with the situation but I have to remember that God is doing some of his greatest work even if I can’t see what He is doing. Also I need to keep in mind if the problem didn’t occur over night it also will take time to correctly resolve it.

No matter what is going on in our lives the victory is in not giving up. I think that is a good definition for perseverance. Not giving up. When the road ahead is full of bumps and I feel like I am acting out one of my son’s ninja shows trying to dodge trouble I need to keep assured that the good that I am trying to do is noticed by God and time will bring fruition to my diligence.

Sometimes God, I get tired of doing the right thing. Give me courage to stay the course give me strength to do your will. Amen.

Jesus replied, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you will see God’s glory?” John 11:40 (NIV)

Have you ever felt that part of your life was dead? I know I have, stuck in my troubles forgetting that God has power that I do not have to turn things around. I, like Martha have cried out, Lord, if  You had been with me I would not be sitting here in pain now! There have been times that I have felt that Jesus seemed to be taking his sweet time getting around to my problem. That He would come too late.

In John 11:21-24 we find Martha in a state of despair. She had sent a message to Jesus to come quickly because Lazarus was gravely ill. Now here Jesus finally arrives and from Martha’s viewpoint, He is too late. “Master, if You had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21).

“Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother shall rise again.’ Martha replied, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day'” (vv. 23-24). I don’t think she really understood what Jesus was saying. She was looking toward a future possibility, not a present reality. She didn’t really expect things to change. Martha was seeing things from her viewpoint, not from God’s viewpoint.

When we are hurting, we need to hold on to the hope that God can bring a new beginning out of the pain. Create a Lazarus moment in our lives. There is more here than just the part we can see. He can show us glory in our present circumstances and he can use the pain for something great.

Lord, Help me to find the glory in my circumstances. I need to hold onto the fact that I may not be seeing the possibilities that exist from my vantage point. Help me have faith in you, the one who lives above life’s storms. Help me to trust your viewpoint on my present circumstances and that all will come together for my good. Amen.

“I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd puts the sheep before himself, sacrifices himself if necessary. ~John 10:11 (MSG)

Part of being a Christian is following Jesus’ example. Even to lay down our life for other people. We are called to be Christ to others, and here we see in this passage that Jesus is willing to put his life on the line for those He is in relationship with. When we are willing to share with others our sorrows and joys, our despair and hope, our loneliness and experience of intimacy, it makes our lives available to others as a source of new life.

It can be easy to be overwhelmed with all the pain and suffering I see around me. I have to remind myself not to put on blinders of protection. I am not here to solve the problems of the whole world, but I am here to be a helping hand to those God has put me in relationship with.

In his book Bread for the Journey, Henri J.M. Nouwen says, “One of the greatest gifts we can give others is ourselves.  We offer consolation and comfort, especially in moments of crisis, when we say:  ‘Do not be afraid, I know what you are living, and I am living it with you.  You are not alone.’  Thus, we become Christ-like shepherds.”

Father in heaven,  may I not be so busy in my life to notice the pain and suffering of those I have been called to be in relationship with. Help me to be willing to share out of my life so that someone else might be able to fine hope in You. Help me to be a light pointing to Your love. Amen.

Therefore, stop worrying about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34 (CEB)

Sometimes I think I hold the market on worry. I get so pulled into all the possibilities all the” what ifs” that I sometimes just wear myself out. As a child I would almost make it a game. If I could think of all the “what ifs” then maybe I could keep them from happening. Even though I know the odds of really being able to control things in that way I still find myself in my old habit of worry. Maybe that is part of the key to the problem. I have let worry become a habit. I do it without even thinking. It has become part of a thought process that I need to unlearn.

Just before verse 34 in Chapter 6 of Matthew we are told that God knows what we need. He dresses the earth in splendor, He feeds the sparrows, He knows the number of hairs on my head. Can’t I trust Him to know what I need as well? How I can learn to set aside my worry is to just deal with things as they come. God has equipped me to do this which is why He tells us to focus only on today. Worry only brings frustration and frustration is the first clue that God isn’t in my situation.

Lord help me to practice this day the art of taking life as it comes.  You know what I need and I am assured by your Word that you will meet my every need for this day. Amen.