Spirit & Mind

My family and I once vacationed in Washington, DC. While on that trip, we visited the Smithsonian Institution. I loved the Museum of Modern Art within the Smithsonian. However, our youngest son, twelve at the time, hated it. For the week-long vacation, he told us how bored he was and how much he wished we had gone to an amusement park instead.

I remember looking at abstract paintings full of color and shapes. I immersed myself in those paintings, focused on the feelings they evoked in me, and marveled over the relationships of shape and color. The cultural significance of each painting intrigued me. My son, on the other hand, was unimpressed.

“I painted stuff like that in kindergarten,” he said. “Give me a piece of paper and a crayon, and I’ll make something just like that, and they can give me a million dollars and put it in a museum.”

Isn’t it funny how two people can look at the same thing yet see it differently? It’s like Ruth and Naomi. Ruth was Naomi’s daughter-in-law. Naomi’s husband and sons had died, and she was convinced her life was hopeless. She told Ruth that she should start her life over and tried to convince Ruth to leave her.

Ruth, however, in the same situation as Naomi, clings to Naomi, determined that there is still hope for them. Both women had lost their husbands and faced poverty and starvation, yet one woman saw hopelessness while the other glimpsed hope.

These women eventually found a new life in Bethlehem. Ruth married Boaz, they had children, and Naomi found joy in her old age. It’s an incredible story of how God can take our desperate, terrible situations and turn everything around.

Things may appear hopeless at the moment. You might be sick, or maybe you’ve lost a job. Perhaps you’ve lost relationships, or people are talking badly about you. Look at your situation through the eyes of hope. God can turn around every situation, even the ones that seem hopeless. Remember, nothing is impossible with God.

I once attended a women’s retreat where a Jewish wedding canopy (chuppah) was set up in one area. A bridal veil was provided for those who wished to wear it, and the guests were invited to take communion individually. This was a profound encounter with Jesus as I wept and worshiped Him as my bridegroom. 

One reason Jesus described Himself as a bridegroom was to offer hope to women. Girlhood dreams of being loved and treasured often end like crushed roses trampled underfoot.  

In contrast, our heavenly suitor offers a noble love where He gives up everything, even his life. He provides perfect fidelity, attuned support, and passionate devotion. How can we resist being loved and cherished like that forever? 

Although I liked the bridegroom metaphor, 1 John 4:18 distressed me for years: “The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” I was ashamed of my imperfect love for the Lord because I worried about being unable to please Him. 

My fear, though, showed how little I knew about the Lord’s heart and intentions toward me, His warm and tender thoughts about me, and His eagerness to help me in all my weaknesses. It’s all about His perfect love, not mine. Because He loved me first, I can rest and trust His character.

Not surprisingly, the more secure I feel as His beloved, the safer I feel to love others deeply from the heart. 

Don’t struggle. Learn to truly rest in God’s love for you.

I wished the trees and houses on my street did not obstruct my view of dawn’s display.

One morning, red, purple, and yellow streaks kissed the foothills and contrasted with the sky’s navy blue to the east. Stepping outside, I directed my iPhone camera toward the marvel of sunrise through the branches of the small tree at the corner of our front porch. When I posted the result on my Facebook page, someone commented on how gorgeously the colors stood out behind the silhouetted tree. By the time January rolls around, the buffeting of strong winds and pounding rain have bared the trees in the Pacific Northwest. Not one leaf is left clinging.

I’ve been through some storms in life too. Sometimes, friends and family parted ways due to misunderstandings and disagreements. Loss of jobs and income meant moving long distances, leaving the comfort of familiarity behind. Illness and aging can deprive us of what we once enjoyed. I’ve felt bare and bereft.

Life’s storms sometimes blow away all that we cling to or that clings to us. I’m reminded then that when I have nothing left but Jesus, Jesus is all I need. Perhaps that is what is necessary to see the glory of God. In my weakness and lack, He shows His strength and bountifulness. In thinking about being a partner with Christ and having the prospect of seeing His glory, I rejoice that my leafless branches reveal the beauty of who He is. Then, my sadness turns to gladness.

Look through your leafless branches and see the glory of God in your life.

The first stanza of “The Solid Rock” is my favorite hymn. I sing this beloved anthem when I walk in my neighborhood, clean bathrooms, drift off to sleep, and prepare for stressful situations. The tune and lyrics lighten the load and remind me I am never alone.

Edward Mote penned the verses of this hymn in 1834. Born in London in 1797, Pastor Mote was baptized at eighteen, trained as a cabinetmaker, and called by God at age fifty to serve as a pastor. When his congregation gifted him with a church building, he declared, “I do not want the chapel, I only want the pulpit; and when I cease to preach Christ, then turn me out of that.” His hope was in Jesus, the Solid Rock, not a solid building.

The word hope appears eighteen times in the book of Job and thirty-four times in the Psalms in the NIV Bible. Job and the psalmists clung to hope amid despair.

Hope is a gift from God, the power of the Holy Spirit nudging us forward, reminding us there is something better ahead. Hope is an extension, a by-product of faith. Faith generates hope. The more faith exercised, the more hope created.

I will rest today in the arms of my Savior, the Solid Rock, my only hope in this life and the next. I hope you will too.

It was the fourth week of 2024, and I had yet to board a plane to my annual warm-weather location to escape the winter weather in New England.

I became extremely sick the day before my flight, so I could not escape to my warm location before the frigid weather and inclement snow days emerged and rendered me snowbound. Weather delayed this snowbird’s annual journey.

We plan activities in our hearts and then unexpectedly find ourselves disappointed, lost, lonely, confused, and angry. But no matter how well we plan, we will always end up where the Lord wants us, even if it seems unfair.

I wrote this devotion while recovering from my sickness. I felt cozy and warm from the fireplace and at peace as I watched the falling snow from my living room window. Although I would have rather been at the beach, I found the fresh snow beautiful and picturesque. It transformed the appearance of my backyard and my neighborhood.

I am unsure why the Lord delayed my trip, but I am sure God is Sovereign and knows what He is doing. His plans are not ours, nor are His ways. As I healed from my sickness, I became content and happy in my winter season. I praise God for nature’s beauty and His amazing handiwork, whatever the season.

Until I was fully healed and could travel, I dismissed my disappointing feelings and chose to be glad in this wintry season the Lord had made.

Do not be disappointed or discouraged when your plans are delayed or go awry. Trust in the Lord, our omniscient God, as He establishes your steps.