Honest Reflections

“I am under vows to you, my God; I will present my thank offerings to you.” (Psalm 56:12 NIV)

Thank offerings keep your focus on God.

When we offer thanks to God, we remind ourselves who our Provider is of everything we have. They also remind us, what we have today, we may not have tomorrow.  For me, thanking God is an easy way to share Him with others.  When I thank God for my life in front of others, His light shines.  Thank offerings help us through difficult times.  When we focus on what we do have, God, hope is sprung.

Thankfulness, as a way of life, helps you keep stride with God.  “Thank God” is a phrase you will hear me use often.  Good days, bad days, in-between days, I always try to find something to thank God for each day.  Without a doubt, some days are harder than others.  One thing we can consistently thank God for is the people He gives us in our lives.  The people who are there for us on all types of days.  The ones who make us laugh, hold us when we cry, and pick us up when we fall.  God sends people into our lives whose task is to fulfill those roles.  Over my lifetime, many angels have come beside me at the right time.  

Thank offerings bring awareness.

One of the problems of our fast-paced world,  we overlook our blessings.  We don’t give thank offerings because we don’t think we have anything to thank God for in our lives.  But that statement is a lie.  We all have something to thank God for in life; we just have to look for it.

One of my young friends is having her twelfth surgery the week of this writing.  She hasn’t celebrated her 22nd birthday yet.  When I was talking to her mother about the current situation, she was praising God.  She thanked Him for health insurance, which allowed her daughter to get care.  She thanked him for the doctors who finally took their call.  She thanked Him for friends who keep showing up, time, and time again.  I have walked with this family through the past five-plus years of this journey.  In every step, my friend has found reason to thank God.  Her thankfulness has made her aware of God’s presence in every moment.  She notices the people who are helping them through these difficult times.

The benefits of thank offerings are many.  They bring hope into a dark world.  They encourage downtrodden souls.  But most of all, they keep our eyes on Jesus.  When we make Him our focus, He doesn’t disappoint.  He leads us through the darkest days.  He provides for us in our needs.  In Him, we find our hope.

Question of the Day:

What can you thank God for today?

Further Reading: Isaiah 10:1-11:16 NIV, 2 Corinthians 12:11-21 NIV, Psalm 56 NIV, Proverbs 23:6-8 NIV

“But as for me, I trust in you.” (Psalm 55:23b)

God is worthy of everyone’s trust.

Today marks the 19th anniversary of Sept. 11th, 2001.  A day that changed our country forever.  Since the tragic day, friends and family members gather at the memorials, commemorating the people they lost.  If you were alive when the airplanes flew into the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Washington D.C., and a Pennsylvania field, you remember where and when you heard the news.

On vacation, I was sleeping when the first plane hit.  My sister-in-law called, telling me to turn on the T.V.  Eyes glued to the news, I watched as the second plane hit the south tower.  My corporate office was in New York.  Like so many others, I wondered about the people I knew who were there.  As the day unfolded, the world felt like it was coming to an end, the events a reminder of life’s fragility.  When I laid my head to sleep that night, I realized, the only constant in life is God.

God is the only constant.

When the world is falling apart around you, God isn’t.  He didn’t fall apart on Sept. 11, 2001.  Books are sold daily with encouraging God stories about that fateful day.  Tales of people who “didn’t go to work,” or “because I was running late,” they missed the terrorists attacks.  One I recall talked about a man who stopped in the pharmacy to buy bandaids for his daughter.  If he hadn’t done that one act, he would have been in his office somewhere in the World Trade Center.  Buying her bandaids meant her daddy came home that night.  Many people would describe that as God’s intervention.

But what about the people who were on time for work that day?  Where was God in their lives?

Death is a part of life.  God does not hide that fact from us.  God’s word is exact:

“All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”  (Psalm 139:16 NIV)

The day of this writing is the sixth anniversary of my nephew’s death.  Why did he die at 20 years old from Type 1 Diabetes?  Because it was the day ordained for him by God before he was ever born.  

We will all die.  None of us knows the day.  I don’t like to think of my death; however, that doesn’t stop it from happening.  What thinking about my mortality does do is help me keep perspective.  When situations in life happen, like 9/11, I realize how precious life is and how each day truly is a gift:

“This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad today!” (Psalm 118:24 NIV)

Jesus overcame death.  In Him, you will have life, not only on earth but in heaven as well.

Question of the Day:

Have you put your trust in Jesus?

Further Reading: Isaiah 8-9 NIV, 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 NIV, Psalm 55 NIV, Proverbs 23:4-5 NIV

“If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.” (2 Corinthians 11:30 NIV) 

Boast about your weaknesses.

When we boast about our weaknesses, God gets the glory.  Just as I was beginning to write this morning, one of my weaknesses was exposed.  A gift I gave a young friend was “returned.”  My feelings were hurt.  Grace is not my go-to response.  My personality is more truth than grace.  In handling the situation, I wrote these words in my prayer journal:

“Lord, help me to be gracious.  Without You, I have none.”

God gave me grace to balance the truth in my response.  My weakness is grace; God’s isn’t.  When we boast about our weaknesses, God gets the glory.

Our weakness is God’s glory.

Voicing weaknesses is not easy.  We all like to talk about the things we do well.  No one wants to talk about the things we don’t do well.  One of the advantages of having a few years under my belt is that I can look back and see my weaknesses when my emotions led my decisions instead of logic.  Or truth was heavy-handed, and grace was light.  In all of those situations, God was my strength.  In Him, I boast.

Paul is the one boasting in today’s Scripture:

“Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea,” (2 Corinthians 11:25-25 NIV)

Paul’s strength was the Lord in all he faced.  Without God’s presence in his life, he wouldn’t have survived his journey.  And he’s still going.  He’s always preaching, sharing the gospel with anyone who will listen.  His weaknesses are what get the attention of his audience.

Let’s face it; no one likes to listen to a braggart.  When someone is touting how great they are, the conversation gets old quick.  I avoid people who are always bragging about how great they are.  First off, no one is perfect.  Secondly, the fact they feel the need to pump themselves up tells me they are hiding insecurities inside.  If they divert your attention to what they are doing right, you won’t notice what they are doing wrong.

God changes the playing field.  He embraces us in our imperfections, and through them, He shines His light.  When people see the change in us, they see God.  They see His presence in our lives that leads us, guides us, and helps us make better decisions.  Because He loves us unconditionally, we can love our weaknesses as well as our strengths.

In our weakness, God is strong.  Through Him, the impossible becomes possible.  Without Him, we are weak.  With Him, we are conquerors.

Question of the Day:

What weakness can you boast about today?

Further Reading: Isaiah 6-7 NIV, 2 Corinthians 11:16-33 NIV, Psalm 54 NIV, Proverbs 23:1-3 NIV

“God looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.” (Psalm 53:2 NIV)

God sees all.  God knows all.  God loves all.

God’s sovereignty is hard to understand.  He sees the effort we make, no matter how tiny.  He’s looking for those who try, and He rewards their effort.

Grey’s Anatomy is one of my favorite medical shows.  Inevitably, a storyline exists in which the patient’s family is waiting for signs of life.  Hours, days, even weeks will pass as they wait for movement.  Sometimes, the symbol of life is a finger that taps the bed or a small nod of the head.  Whatever the indication, it is always slight and barely noticeable.  But someone notices.  The battle to live won for the moment.

God notices our slightest effort.

Some days, our slightest effort is getting out of bed.  God rewards our struggle with the energy to keep going.  As much as I love God, some days are more challenging than others.  My “seeking” of God is in the simple prayer, “God, get me out of bed.”  Sometimes, the world is so overwhelming, so saddening, the thought of facing another day is the mountain we have to climb.   COVID, riots, death, suffering, the world is an ugly place.  Add that level of reality to our stressful personal lives; staying in bed seems like a good option.  However, God gave us each a light to shine.  We can’t shine our lights from bed.

All God asks is that you try.

Try seeking and understanding God today in your life.  Ask the questions that help gain understanding:

The list of questions is endless.  Ask them.  Seek answers in God’s word.  Talk to people who follow Christ, ask them their stories.  Listen as they explain the steps of faith that have led them where they are today.

On the topic of sex, I decided to seek God. Why did God not want me to have premarital sex? Quickly answered with the first guy I dated.  God was protecting me.  The guy, a man I met in church, was having multiple sexual relationships with different women.  When I refused to sleep with him, the truth came out.  Praise God. His Word prevented me from making the same mistake again. 

After God answers one of your questions, ask another.  

Twenty years later, I’m still asking questions.  If we open ourselves up to learning what God has for us in this life, we’ll always have more questions.  God’s word has the answers.  As we apply it to our lives, our understanding of God deepens.  

Seek. Ask. Apply. Understand.

Question of the Day:

What question do you want to ask God today?

Further Reading: Isaiah 3-5 NIV, 2 Corinthians 11:1-15 NIV, Psalm 53 NIV, Proverbs 22:28-29 NIV

“You are judging by appearances. If anyone is confident that they belong to Christ, they should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as they do.” (2 Corinthians 10:7 NIV)

Appearances lie.  Everyone falls for the lie.

We see a picture on social media. We believe what we see.  One I’ve fallen for is the shark’s silhouette in an ocean wave about to break on the beach.  Not real.  Pictures of happy couples, families, friends aren’t usually accurate.  When you see these pictures on Facebook, remember, it’s the best photo taken, not the worst.  The image before, when the baby is crying, the wife is angry, and dad is exhausted, we don’t see that picture.  

Appearances don’t indicate the condition of the heart.  When we look at someone, we don’t know if they follow Jesus or not.  Their actions will reveal their beliefs as the relationship grows, but we cannot tell by appearance.  Once someone says yes to Christ, it’s a yes for always.  Nothing strips us from Christ’s love.

Judge actions, not appearance.

When we judge by appearance, we’re missing what lies beneath the waterline.  The message my pastor gave this week talked about looking beneath the surface.  Don’t accept what you see on the surface.  Instead, look deeper for the truth. He challenged us with a simple, yet complex statement:

“God, reveal to me what you see in me that is not giving me life.” 

Judging by appearances hinders all of our lives.  We think we know someone’s heart because of how they look.  When I was in college, one of my friends was a model.  My jealousy over her appearance stopped me from seeing her precious heart.  If we can’t get past how they look, we’ll never see their soul’s works.  Only God knows what lies within a person’s inner being:

“Would not God find this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.” (Psalm 44:21 NIV)

If we want to know what lies beneath the water, both for ourselves and others, we must seek God.  He reveals His knowledge to us as we seek Him.  

For instance, God revealed to me my issue with jealousy.  Through different people in my life, He’s taught me to look deeper than the surface.  My college roommate was a slim, gorgeous gymnast with a soft voice.  People adored her.  She had a good looking boyfriend. My jealousy was at it’s highest.  But what I didn’t see was her intense battle with drugs.  Her addiction was below the waterline; I couldn’t see it.  All I saw was what was on the surface.

Three lessons we can learn from today’s verse:

Go below the surface today.  Don’t judge by appearances.

Question of the Day:

Who have you misjudged lately?

Further Reading: Isaiah 1-2 NIV, 2 Corinthians 10:1-18 NIV, Psalm 52 NIV, Proverbs 22:26-27 NIV

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” (2 Corinthians 9:6 NIV)

The “sow”-ing Paul is referring to in this passage comes from gardening. When you plant a garden, the more seeds you sow, the more you will receive in the harvest. This year, I planted six cucumber seeds, which yielded six plants. Each plant yields, on average, ten cucumbers. My husband and I couldn’t keep up with the number of cucumbers we received from those plants. However, if I had only planted one seed, we wouldn’t have had as many cucumbers.

The truth is, I planted more than six seeds to grow six plants. In each little mound, I planted 2-4 seeds, but only one of them survived. To produce a crop, you must plant more than one seed. And you have to water and nurture what you do plant. Each day, I would check on my little seedlings. When I spotted signs of life popping up through the ground, I praised God for His blessing on my efforts.

Planting produces faith.

Comparing planting seeds to life, if we don’t sow the seed, nothing will ever grow. As we witness growth begin to take place, our faith grows with it. We realize that what started as nothing more than a conversation has become a reality we couldn’t imagine. And we have a choice of what seeds we plant. Like I chose to plant cucumbers and peppers in my physical garden, I can plant seeds of love and mercy in my relational garden.

Where you are is where you plant. The people God surrounds you with are the place to start planting. Sometimes, preparing the soil may take time for people to receive the seeds. In other words, if people don’t think they are lovable, they aren’t able to receive love. They don’t think they deserve it.  

When you plant a garden, you have to prepare the soil.   First, you till the land, churning the dirt over and over.  Then you add fertilizer and nutrients so the seeds you plant will have everything they need to grow.  And you moisten the soil, which softens and readies it to receive the seeds planted.  We need to do the same thing with people.

When people hurt for whatever reason, walls go up around their hearts.  Hurt after hurt, layer after layer, just like layers of soil.  The more layers, the more compact the soil of our hearts become.  Like tilling a garden, we must till through the layers of hurt to revitalize a broken heart.  We must add fertilizer and nutrients to create life.  Our prayers water the soil so they can receive the seeds of love and mercy we plant.

The more seeds we plant, the greater the harvest.

Question of the Day:

How can you sow generously today?

Further Reading: Song of Solomon 5-8 NIV, 2 Corinthians 9:1-15 NIV, Psalm 51 NIV, Proverbs 22:24-25 NIV

“The Mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to where it sets.” (Psalm 50:1 NIV)

The sun rises because God wants it to rise.  You got out of bed this morning because God wanted you to get out of bed.  Our purpose on this day is simple: love God, love others.  Each day we get the chance to love better than we did the day before.  

Two ways we can love better today than yesterday: love of God, love of others.  Each day we have the opportunity to improve in these areas.  As long as God gives us breath, our mission is to love.

Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is love.

If we are going to master love, we have to learn from the Master.  God is love.  Throughout the pages of the Bible, we learn of His unconditional love for the world.  People reject God, He doesn’t reject people.  God understands the human condition. He understands, we can’t love separate from Him.  His love pours into us, then we pour it out to others.

“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.” (Deuteronomy 7:9 NIV)

When God’s love pours into our lives, we can’t help but share it with others.  We want to share what we have found with those we love.  We want them to experience the unconditional love we have in Jesus.  We all desire love.  God created us out of His love for us.  But much of the world feels unloved.  People live in isolation, alone and afraid.  No one wants to feel that way, yet all of us do at some point or another, I know I have.  God’s love penetrates those feelings.  His word reminds us of who we are, His children that He adores.  When we understand His love for us, our lives reflect His light to the world:

“Let your light shine before men, that. they may see your good works, and. glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16 NIV)

The love we have for others is a direct result of God’s love for us.  We forgive others because in His mercy, God forgave us.  Just as God understands us, we must take time to understand others.  Jesus never forced Himself on anyone.  If someone didn’t want to talk to Him, Jesus let them go.  The rich young ruler who couldn’t part with his possessions, missed out on life with Jesus (Mark 10:17-27 NIV).  Many in America are missing Jesus because they worship their possessions.

God’s mission for you today is simple: Love Him, Love Others.

Question of the Day:

Who do you need God’s help loving today?

Further Reading: Song of Solomon 1-4 NIV, 2 Corinthians 8:16-24 NIV, Psalm 50 NIV, Proverbs 22:22-23 NIV

“For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.” ((2 Corinthians 8:12 NIV)

God looks at the heart, not the amount.

Jesus knows your intentions because He knows your heart.  He knows when you are doing something out of love, or out of spite.  We’ve all done both.

When I was little and played baseball with my brothers, I did that out of love.  However, when I tattled on them because they didn’t do what I wanted, I did that out of spite.  Hurting people hurt others.  That is why, in order to stop the vicious cycle of hurt, we need to learn how to deal with our feelings.

God loves a healthy heart.

Identifying emotions is not a lesson I learned as a child.  Recently, thanks to Brene Brown, one of my favorite authors, I’ve investigated emotions.  Currently, on my laptop, the screensaver is smiley faces depicting different emotions, the description below.  Turns out, we have far more emotions than just happy, mad or sad.  When we push aside our emotions we only make them stronger.  However, if we learn to identify them we can deal with them.

R.A.I.N. is a technique I’ve mentioned before.  The acronym stands for Recognize, Accept, Investigate and Nurture.  A friend and I experienced R.A.I.N. together.  We were on a mission for medical supplies.  The traffic was heavy, I was driving.  Because of a car accident five years ago, I suffer with anxiety when driving.  My anxiety was at an all time high this particular day.  But I recognized it for the first time.  Instead of trying to hide my anxiety, I shared it with my friend.  She then helped me accept the anxiety as we talked through it.  We already knew why I was feeling the way I was.  When we arrived at our destination, I felt stupid for my anxiety.  My friend however, nurtured me.  She told me how proud she was of me for overcoming my anxiety and facing my fear. 

God doesn’t want us to live in fear and anxiety.  He wants us to willingly give Him our hearts and let Him fill them with His love.  When we do, our gifts are pleasing to Him.  My gift to Him was taking the trip.  God knew my anxiety, the only way to overcome it is deal with it.  In my situation, I dealt with my fear by taking a drive, trusting God to get me to my destination.  He knew my heart was willing, my gift was pleasing.  The amount isn’t as important as the intent.

God knows our hearts better than we do.  He knows what emotions we struggle with each day.  He knows what we need for a healthy heart.  He wants the willingness more than He wants anything else.

Question of the Day:

What emotions are you dealing with today?

Further Reading: Ecclesiastes 10-12 NIV, 2 Corinthians 8:1-15 NIV, Psalm 49 NIV, Proverbs 22:20-21NIV

“For this God is our God for ever and ever;  He will be our guide even to the end.” (Psalm 48:14 NIV)

No one guides like God.

In today’s technological world, we have plenty of choices who to follow.  “Influencers” are people who have large followings on social media.  Because of the number of people who follow them, they influence culture with their actions.

For instance, in the tennis world, Novak Djokovic is an influencer.  He is consistently one of the top three players in the world.  When he does something, people notice.  Recently he held a private tennis tournament with other top level players.  Unfortunately, they contracted COVID, the media was unforgiving of the incident.  However, a few years back he decided to up his fitness game by going gluten free.  He influenced his dedicated followers to do the same thing.  After all, if gluten free made Novak a top player in the world, it would certainly help their game as well.  

Influencer’s influence.

Arguably, Jesus is one of the top influencers of all time.  His following far outweighs that of any athlete or movie star.  Yet the world is still in desperate need of Jesus.  Why don’t, if Jesus is so famous, His follower’s reflect Him more?  The answer is simple: we battle ourselves for who will truly guide our lives.

Sherpas are Himalayan people living on the borders of Nepal and Tibet, renowned for their skill in mountaineering.  If you are going to trek up the world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest, you want a sherpa to guide you.  Studies have found they have physically adapted to living in high regions with little oxygen.  In other words, they were made specifically to lead people up the mountain.  Without a sherpa leading the way, the chance of survival is slim to none.

God gave us Jesus as our Sherpa in life.  His teachings can lead us through the deadliest terrain without a scratch.  However, just like climbing a mountain, we have to take the steps necessary to get to the top.  God doesn’t just drop us at the top of the mountain, He gives us the opportunity to climb rocks and conquer the trail.

Every day, we need God to guide us.  We need Him to direct our steps, straighten out our paths and lead the way.  If we aren’t following Him, we need to analyze who we are following.  Within the pages of the Bible, God has given us direction for every aspect of our life.  He teaches us how to have relationships with other people.  We learn how to handle money and balance work and play.  God’s instruction book is love.  Every word written is because of God’s love for us.  He knows the journey is hard, but with Him as our guide, it isn’t impossible.

Question of the Day:

How can you seek God’s guidance today?

Further Reading: Ecclesiastes 7:1-9:18 NIV, 2 Corinthians 7:8-16 NIV, Psalm 48 NIV, Proverbs 22:17-19 NIV

WHAT IS BETTER THAN TRANQUILITY IN YOUR LIFE?

“Better one handful with tranquillity than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.” (Ecclesiastes 4:6 NIV)

Nothing beats tranquility.

Solomon wrote the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes.  Proverbs is practical advice for everyday life.   Ecclesiastes is Solomon’s search for meaning in life “under the sun” (Eccl. 1:9 NIV).  At the end of the day, he realized, the only thing that truly matters is our relationship with God.  Solomon was old when he wrote the book.  He had the hindsight most of us do when we start to age.  He knew the difference between life with God, and life without Him.  He knew which life led to peace and tranquility.  Life with God is better than life without Him.

God provides tranquility.

When we live our lives in obedience to God, we find peace.  We recognize that no matter what happens in our lives, He’s in control.  When something bad happens, He knows.  When something good happens, He knows.  Submitting to Him, placing our trust in Him, allows us to stop trying to run the world.  Instead, we can accept things as they happen, trusting in God’s plan.

Think round peg, square hole.  Have you ever seen someone trying desperately to make the wrong piece fit into a puzzle?  No matter how hard they try to make the round cylinder fit into the square, they won’t succeed.  Eventually the person’s frustration gets the best of them and they stop trying. 

When we try to control our world, we’re putting a round peg in a square hole.  We will never succeed.  Instead, we are chasing after the wind.  We’re trying to control something we were never meant to control.  Life becomes frustrating the more we try to control it.  Eventually, we want to give up and stop trying.  When we give control to God, He does the work for us.

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)

God doesn’t reveal His purpose for our life all at once. He reveals His purpose moment by moment as we follow Him.  When we submit our lives to Him, we know, good or bad, God has a plan.  He is in control, we aren’t.

For instance, as a tennis teacher, I book lessons throughout the week.  Rarely do I teach every lesson on my calendar.  If rain starts falling from the sky, I have to cancel.  Because I submit my life to God, I don’t fret one way or the other.  If it rains, God didn’t want me teaching that day, if it doesn’t, He does.  Either way, I trust His plan. 

God provides tranquility when we place our trust in Him.  Stop chasing the wind, instead, chase Jesus. 

Question of the Day:

How can you chase Jesus today?

Further Reading: Ecclesiastes 4:1-6:12 NIV, 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:7 NIV, Psalm 47 NIV, Proverbs 22:16 NIV