Little Things

You observe my travels and my rest; You are aware of all my ways.

Psalm 139:3

Today the author talks of a woman who is about to go on backpacking trip with some friends, and in an effort to pack as lightly as possible they had decided to pack cans of tuna and english muffins. But she wondered how she could stomach tuna without any mayo. While she was in a fast food restaurant she saw her answer, packets of mayo at the counter. She loaded up and went to sit with her family and eat. As she was thanking God for His provisions, she knew she couldn't just take the packets of mayo. So she went to the counter and asked for the manager, she told him her request and he graciously told her to take what she needed, but thanked her for asking first.

She goes on to talk about integrity being a huge character trait, being made up of the little things we do. It's about doing the right thing in the small and meaningless things.

It would have been easy for this woman to justify taking the packets of mayo without asking, after all nobody would have noticed and people do that kind of thing all the time. But God wants us to be people of honor, and do the right thing even when no one will notice. I try to live my life this way, I don't always succeed, but I try.....I pray that God will show me more ways I can honor Him by having integrity in my life.

Steps of Faith:
Father, examine my life and show me any ways in which I am dishonoring You. I want to live with integrity.

Improvise

This is what I command you: love one another.

John 15:17

The devotional talks about a couple whose parents offer to take their children for the evening so they could have some alone time, however they didn't have enough cash for a real date. So they improvised, they decided to take their dog for a walk in the park. They talk about how it was nice to be able to talk without being interrupted by the kids, and just being together. The author goes on to talk about how important it is to spend one-on-one time with our spouse to nurture our relationship.

While I agree with her wholeheartedly, it's not always easy. My husband and I live 600 miles away from our families, so getting someone to volunteer to take our kids for the evening is not an easy task. If we want to go out together, we usually get a sitter, so it can be quite costly. It's one of the sacrifices you make when you move so far away from home. I know that spending time with my husband is important, but sometimes it's hard to justify the expense. I also know that God sees our situation, and provides little moments here and there.

Steps of Faith:
Father, please help me t nurture relationships with my loved ones. Give me creativity and the desire to keep my relationships growing.

Traffic Jam

Refrain from anger and give up your rage; do not be agitated-it can only bring harm.

Psalm 37:8

The author of today's devotional tells a story about how one day she is stuck in traffic, due to a 3 car pile up, on her way to drop her daughter off at day care before going to work. She talks about how the people, including herself, were becoming impatient as the traffic came to a dead stop. Horns were blaring, people were shouting, and trying to weave their way around the accident. She found herself shouting at other drivers, and talks of feeling the beginning of a tension headache as she tried to squelch the intense anger she felt. "Stupid" her 4 year old daughter yelled at a passing car. Suddenly she realized that God was showing her the problem was not the traffic, but her anger. She goes on to quote a few scriptures, Ecclesiates 7:9 says

Don't let your spirit rush to be angry, for anger abides in the heart of fools.

, and Ephesians 4:26 says,

Be angry and do not sin. Don't let the sun go down on your anger.

Anger is an emotion that I have struggled with. I tend to be a hothead, get angry and ask questions later. It usually gets me into much trouble, and I always end up with my foot in my mouth. Over the last few years, this is something that I have been working on. I don't like the way I feel when I am angry, and I was beginning to feel that way all the time. I have asked to God to help me in the this area, and while I still get angry, and I still put my foot in my mouth from time to time, I have learned the difference between just being angry over something I can't control, and justified anger. Justified anger doesn't give me the right to sin, but there are some things that we need to be angry over, so that we can take steps to make things right.

Steps of faith:
Father, help me to deal with anger when it arises. Mold me into the image of Your Son so I can be pleasing in Your sight.

Childhood Scars

Lord my God, I cried to You for help, and You healed me.

Psalm 30:2

The author today talks about the after affects of divorce. She talks about how she worried about her daughters when she divorced her husband. She knew what divorce could do to a child, as she was a child of divorce herself. She wanted to make sure she got her daughters help to cope with their hurts and their new way of life. She prayed for wisdom, and God showed her a program to help not only her daughters cope but herself as well. She says that she realized that she had taken her scars from her parents divorce into her own marriage and caused damage to marriage, however she believes that Jesus can heal her daughters broken hearts so that they can have healthy and enduring marriages of their own one day.

I know a little bit about childhood scars, I am not a child of divorce, I am however and adult child of divorce. My parents divorced when I was in my 20's. I still don't communicate with my father....over several things, not just the divorce and the way he left the marriage. There are deep scars that my father left on my heart from my childhood....I am working through them, and learning to trust and lean on my heavenly Father to help me through. However I am just starting to see how God is using my painful experience for His will. We have some kids in our youth group that I see going through the same pain, I completely understand why they are acting out, and what they are feeling. God didn't want me to go through the pain that I endured, He didn't bring it to me, but He allowed it, and now He is using it to help others, using it for His will.

Steps of Faith:
Father, help me to be sensitive to my children's emotional needs and wounds. Show me how to apply the balm of Your grace to their hurts.

The Best Gift

A Friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a difficult time.

Proverbs 17:17

Today's devotional tells a story about a woman who is picking out a book for her friend, whose teen daughter has just tried to commit suicide. She sees another one of her friends in the bookstore, and they talk about it. Her friend suggests that the book may not be the best choice for their hurting friend, as she is already beating herself up at the moment for not seeing signs that her daughter was in trouble. The woman realizes that her friend is right, what her hurting friend needs at the moment, is not a gift that suggests she needs some parenting advice, but her friends to listen and hurt with her.

I understand how both the hurting friend, and the woman feel in this story. So many times when I have been going through a personal or family crisis, I just want someone to hurt with me, and I have had that, and sometimes I haven't. The times I haven't have made it that much worse. I felt alone. But for the most part, a lot of that was my own doing, because I kept it close and didn't share what I was going through with others. There is a sweet sister who in our church that has so much on her plate right now, her mom has cancer, her dad is not doing well at all, and her husband is having some health issues. She has two teenagers at home, and her family lives in another state. I really feel her stress, and pain, I think it homes with me, because my family lives in another state also. I know what it's like to feel torn between need to be at home with your kids and needing to be with those that need you in another state. I pray that the Lord will ease her stress, and give her the strength that she needs to get her through.

Steps of Faith:
God, I never want to hurt a friend who is already overwhelmed. Help me to be sensitive to those who are going through difficulties.

The Hall of Unfaith

Faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.

Hebrews 11:1

It has been a while, I have not been good about doing my devotional or blogging about it. Time to start anew again.

Today's devotional talks about what I feel I have been going through. The hall of unfaith. Hebrews 11 talks about the faith of all these great men and women of the bible, these were people who didn't have the benefit of the bible, daily devotionals or study groups to help and encourage them in their faith. The author points out how she felt ashamed reading about these men and women who had such great faith, and if there were a hall of unfaith, her picture would be there. I feel the same.....God has provided, and provided abundantly for me and my family yet I still don't fully trust and rely on Him all of the time. I still try to take control of the wheel, or be a bad backseat driver! I read about these great men and women of faith, and feel that I fall way short! My faith is so little compared to theirs!

I am leading a girls bible study, my prayer is that I am honoring God through this study, that I am reaching the girls to hear what He has to say about the topics, but as I do it, I wonder if I am taking control and trying to accomplish things for Him on my own. I don't want to do that.....I want Him to accomplish things through me, and above all I want Him to have the glory. I so long for this study to be honoring to God, and I feel like it was put on my heart for a reason, but I have been going through a valley personally, and I think that has something to do with my doubting. I need to give my troubles over, and have faith that He will sort them out, have faith that He will get me through, and have faith, that He will work through me.

Steps of Faith:
Thank You, Father, for the examples in the Scripture of faithful men, and women. I want to please You, Lord.

Called

Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.

Matthew 6:33

The writer tells a story about her daughter-in-law, and her search for a job. Her DIL graduated in December from college with a degree to teach special education students. She says that graduating in December is a bad time to find a full time teaching job, but her DIL worked as a substitute. However, before the end of the year the economy did a nose dive, and schools were letting teachers go and increasing class sizes rather than hiring new teachers. Her son and DIL were praying, as were the writer and her husband. Her DIL's student loans were coming due, and their budget was in a big strain. However, a couple of months later her DIL received a job offer, and was finally working with special needs students. The writer says that she didn't know how her DIL did it, the kids were so needy. But her DIL told her that she loved her job, and she loved the kids. She said she felt that God had called her to this work.

Many people around the country have suffered from the down economy. As the writer pointed out, just having a college degree isn't enough anymore, and people from all walks of life are unemployed or underemployed. My husband and I have experienced the strain of unemployment, and the scare of going through many rounds of layoffs. It can be such a stressful burden to bear, but God always watches out for His children.

Steps of Faith:
Father, provide hope for those who are trying to find employment. Give them wisdom, let them find favor with the people who can help them, and provide for all of their needs.

Deeper Walk:
Luke 18:1-8 NAS
Jesus tells the parable of the persistent widow.

Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, saying, "In certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, 'Give me legal protection from my opponent.' For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, 'Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.'" And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge said; now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?"

a little side note from me....This passage gives me great comfort right now. I have a situation in my life that I don't understand. I almost feel lost about how this can happen. It is something that is out of my control, there is someone who has made a decision, and I can't change it, and while this decision is not about me, it hurts me deeply because of the love I have for them. It hurts to watch them walk down a dark and dangerous path and feel you have no control. I feel that God is reminding me in this passage that I need to continually bring this to Him, day and night like the widow in the story, and He will not delay over it.