A Goal For Your Life Today

Sometimes we stop everything we are doing to talk about what’s wrong with everything we are doing. You’ll notice, that while evaluation is good, rarely does it change the circumstances.

What changes the circumstances is making willful, conscious choices in the right direction. What improves and empowers our life is surrendering to God’s ways of doing life. Love God. Love your neighbor. Love yourself. Love your enemy.

These are not analyses. These are action items.

Francis of Assisi said, “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”

For me today, that means my Doing what’s Necessary— my confession and forgiveness. I have business in my heart that needs tending to. No amount of talking about it is going to substitute the act of it.

Then when I have done what’s necessary, forgiving myself and others, I can do what’s Possible—loving again.

And suddenly, I am doing the Impossible — moving out of my self-centered drama and into God’s life, His work, His heart.

So what are you waiting for? What’s the first necessary thing you need to start?

Follow the Sun

I have this way of doing life. It has its similarities and routines. I go through motions without even thinking sometimes. I can do my God life like that too. Do you know what I mean? Reading, listening, even praying in a kind of auto pilot sort of way? I can do life without absorbing the beauty around me.

This morning the Lord ever so sweetly turned my attention to Him. I was driving in my old familiar route doing errands and I kept noticing the sunrise. It was amazing with its pinks and purples. When I got back in my car to head home, the same way I always go, I kept getting this urge to look at the sky. As I was driving, I had this moment to choose to go home the same old way, or to go a different way and enjoy the sunrise. In a split second I chose the new way. When I pulled onto the interstate, the sun came up as a vibrant orange red ball on the horizon.

It was breathtakingly beautiful. Like out of body, awestruck, don’t know how to process this much beauty, kind of beautiful.

As I was soaking in the wonder, I heard, “Always follow the beauty of the Son.”

My prayer for you today is that God will show you the new choices you can make. And I pray that you will have the faith, courage, and desire to take new paths that will enable you to see the beauty of the Son. Amen.

Life or Death

Proverbs 14:12 makes a frightening statement: “There is a way that seems right to a man but in the end it leads only to death.”

Is this possible that I can be so insistent on my own way, so oblivious to all the danger signs, so in denial of the truth that my actions will result in death? Death of my own soul or body? Death of relationships? Death of others?

As a woman who has walked through abortion clinic doors and walked out a murdering, mangled mess, I see the reality of this wise word.  It seemed right, at the time. But in the end it led to death in many, many areas of my life and the lives of others.

But God. This warning proverb also has an inferred, mathematical hope. If the negative aspect of this proverb is true, then its counter positive aspect is also true: there is a way that seems right to God and in the end it leads only to life.

What are you facing? Is it is right to you or to God? Are you seeing areas of death in your life? Are you willing to follow God’s way and trust that despite the odds, it will lead to Life for you and life for people around you?

“Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know,” Jeremiah 33:3

Lord Jesus, protect us from willful sins. Give us a willing spirit to sustain us and to lead us in the way everlasting. We fix our eyes on You, the author and perfector of our faith. Amen