Spirit & Mind

Between jobs and feeling increasingly discouraged, I spoke negatively about myself: I’m a loser. I have no purpose. I’m worthless without a job. As I frequently spoke self-degrading comments, I began to believe the lies. My self-worth suffered, and I felt more hopeless about the future. I was not professing truths.

When I expressed some of these self-deprecating comments to my mom, she gently reminded me that such statements did not align with what God says about my identity, worth, and future. As the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart opposed God’s Word, they displeased God. Thus, I was sinning. Although difficult to hear, I knew my mom was right.

Mom encouraged me to write down, memorize, and profess Bible verses that addressed each of the falsehoods I had declared. I replaced each false statement with a statement declaring the truth: I am a cherished daughter of the King. God has a good purpose for my life. My value and identity do not come from a job or any worldly successes.

As I continued to profess and think about God’s truths, the lies that had taken root were uprooted. Seeds of truth began to grow, flourish, and produce fruit in my life. Instead of constantly feeling discouraged, directionless, and depressed, I felt comfort, hope, and joy bud within. Although my future remained unclear, I rested assured that as I kept my eyes fixed on God, He would lead me and infuse purpose in my uncertain season of life.

Now, when negative thoughts arise, I offer them to God and ask Him to help me recalibrate my heart and mind to align with what pleases Him.

Focus. Sometimes, I wish heaven could administer a divine eyeglass prescription to help me see what is truly important.

How prone I am to distraction. I can easily get preoccupied with daily tasks, sometimes too much. I can receive a trivial text that sidetracks me from my original priority plans for the day. And then there's social media. I'd be lying if I didn't admit I've been sucked into too much screen time too many times.

The truth is that our time management matters to God. The same Creator who lovingly and carefully formed every detail of this magnificent world also chose to make us individually for His glory and pleasure. He made us intentionally, with His good purpose in mind. That means we are given the gift of breath in our lungs every day because He still has things for us to do.

How nearsighted I can be, attending to my agenda and interests, which may or may not align with my Creator's plan for me that day. I may have chosen to clean out that messy closet or read that book, but did I first ask God for His will? Maybe what He planned was for me to call a lonely friend instead. I may be today's answer to a friend's prayer who wonders if anyone genuinely cares.

We all have the same twenty-four hours each day. That's 168 hours each week or 61,320 hours in a year. God created us to do His good will every day. We are on His mission.

God the Father creates each of us uniquely, and what we are supposed to do is specific to us. When we fulfill God's plan, we will find contentment in living our day's purpose.

It's time to make each moment count. God numbers our days, and He does not promise us tomorrow. Spend quality time each day with Him through His Word and in prayer. Ask Him to make your will conform to His and to guide you on how you should go. He will be faithful and prompt you to spend quality time with someone or be the hands and feet of Jesus. 

I suppose it’s the wisdom I’ve gained. As the years pass, those things I used to tighten my grip on, I now find my knuckles relaxing and letting go. Our baggage—those times when I was hurt or mistreated. Mistakes that I couldn’t get past. All that stuff we hold tight in our minds drives our future attitudes.

Whether we admit it or not, we all have them, and though we may swear we have let go of those bags of muck, they crop up from time to time. Through my divorce some forty years ago, I remained amicable with my ex-husband, but that didn’t change the prolonged hurt I felt—hurt that affected not only me but also my children. I didn’t dwell on those things daily, but the hurt popped up in certain scenarios until I finally moved ahead. I can confirm that moving ahead is hard.

Scripture tells us there has never been another like Moses. One of his strongest qualities was his determination to move ahead, even when he felt he couldn’t lift another sandal. Imagine the weight Moses carried with the string of Israelites that followed him while whining, We were better off in Egypt. We want this. We want that.

Yet through it all, Moses moved ahead, trusting God’s plan and promise. Although Moses was faithful, his anger caused him to disobey God in front of the people, and God handed down a punishment. Moses would lead the people to the Promised Land but not be allowed to enter. God moved His people forward. True to His word, they entered the land of milk and honey. Because God was gracious and loving, He allowed Moses to look over the land and see the result of his years of leadership. Then he died. But the story didn’t end there. Joshua continued the leadership that Moses had begun, and God kept things moving ahead despite any roadblocks that cropped up.

As the New Year enters, stop clinging to the old baggage. Moses moved forward even when he wanted to quit, even in his mistakes. The result was the land of milk and honey—the Promised Land. Imagine if he hadn’t.

Today is the day to be a Moses. Move ahead. Discard a painful past and start your year truly new. God’s faithfulness never wavers. Move ahead and into His arms.

The older I get, the more allergic I grow to noise. I recall a year when my boys were small, and my sister-in-law gave them little metal ray guns. You pulled the trigger, and a little fan inside went whirr, whirr, whirr. They were playing with their guns outside, and the rays were flying while my sister-in-law was raking leaves next door.

After a bit, I saw her lay her rake down, walk across the street to my boys, and rip the ray guns out of their hands. It was driving her insane. It served as great fodder for years to come about how payback can be painful. She gave them the noise that I had to endure, but the payback came when the sound got on her last nerve.

That's me these days. Noise allergy. A few nights ago, my husband turned off the TV and said, "I'm going to bed. You coming?"  

"Maybe in a bit. I just want to sit and look at the Christmas tree." 

He headed upstairs and flipped off the lights, leaving me in the dark to stare at the flickering Christmas tree lights. Our tree is on a rotator, so I get to see the lights change colors and the tree slowly turn. It's the most peaceful thing. 

I watched as a tiny baby Jesus slowly turned past, and I thought there probably wasn't any peace and quiet for Mary and Joseph or Baby Jesus. I mean, a manger full of farm animals not only has its own aroma, it's never quiet and peaceful. Yet for these new parents, I'm sure they tuned out the noise to simply gaze at the true miracle that lay in front of them. Emmanuel. Prince of Peace. As Jesus grew, the noise that followed Him only grew in intensity.

We know little of Jesus' childhood, but we do know about His last three years, and they were anything but peaceful or quiet. Still, Jesus remained "at peace." Even knowing what was to come, He wasn't thrilled with what the future held, but He was "at peace."

This Christmas, sit back, take a deep breath, and find peace. This is the perfect time of year to seek that little gift. And by the way, it is a gift. Sit alone and watch your Christmas lights, and think about our Baby Jesus ... sleeping in heavenly peace. 

It was an ordinary day for Mary as she busily performed her daily tasks. But she stopped in her tracks when a heavenly visitor, the angel Gabriel, greeted her and said she was highly favored.

Gabriel's words troubled Mary, and she wondered why he was there. Mary was poor and lowly, just an ordinary teen with nothing special about her. Gabriel saw her troubled expression and replied, "Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son and call him Jesus."

Now, Mary was even more confused because she was a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph. She wanted to know how this could happen. Gabriel told her that her conception would take place by the Spirit's power. It was all a part of God's plan. Mary responded, "I am the Lord's servant. May your word to me be fulfilled."

Mary surrendered herself to God and allowed God to use her. What an honor to be visited by an angel and receive a message from God. Today, we receive instructions from God by the Holy Spirit. People often say things like, "God told me." We feel conviction from the Holy Spirit. Or maybe God sends a message through another person just for us. These are all ways God speaks to us.

God's messages are essential, as are our responses to them. We are each just as unique as Mary. We are each born with a purpose, a particular assignment. We must do our part, saying, "I am the Lord's servant; may your word be fulfilled."

Seek God to find out what plan He wants to unfold in your life. We each have a specific part in the furthering of the gospel. Be like Mary and surrender, allowing God to work through you. God has a mission and plan for you today.