For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7) 

Never, in my lifetime, have I witnessed such global panic as is evidenced in the world right now.

With the emergence of the coronavirus over the past few months, we’ve seen travel bans, school shutdowns, postponements of sporting and public events, theater closings, and – gasp – even a seventeen-plus day shutdown of Disney World, Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris. I agree with the Los Angeles Times reporter who wrote that such an occurrence is indeed a “blow to American optimism.” (1) 

A few weeks ago, a co-worker encouraged me to begin my “pandemic shopping,” and I scoffed at the suggestion. “This is not a pandemic,” I insisted, “And I, for one, refuse to succumb to fear.”

Since then, the World Health Organization (WHO) has, in fact, declared the coronavirus – also known as COVID-19 – a pandemic (3). What began as a few dozen cases of pneumonia in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, has now affected 169,000 individuals, causing 6,492 deaths, worldwide. (2)

The WHO didn’t make this proclamation lightly. According to their organization, a pandemic is declared “when a new disease for which people do not have immunity spreads around the world beyond expectations.” (4) Such an outbreak has only been defined as such a few times in history – including the 1918 flu, 2009’s H1N1 virus, and the discovery of HIV/AIDS in 2006. (5)

This week, I experienced the recent phenomenon known as panic shopping – the hysterical hoarding of rice, cleaning products, and yes, toilet paper. Mind you, there is absolutely no reason for toilet paper shortages to occur in the world – other than those created by fear-driven shopping frenzies.

While making my grocery purchases, I witnessed, first-hand, entire meat freezers emptied of meat, and dry goods’ shelves devoid of rice, soups, and pasta. Posted signs reminded customers to limit their purchases of paper products – including the aforementioned toilet paper packages – to two per household/per day. Such things would be comical were they not so indicative of the fearful mindset that’s become our new norm.

Yet, amid all this chaos, we must never doubt that God is in control. While many in the world may proceed with a perception of panic, my reality is the total opposite. I feel nothing but peace. Despite the daily deluge of fear-laced COVID-19 coverage, I choose to rest wholly in the promises of God to take care of me and my loved ones. 

This morning, for example, my brother was faced with a decision regarding the well-being of our mother. His son’s thirteenth birthday party was scheduled to be held at a Colorado bowling alley, in the afternoon. With all of the coronavirus concerns, our mother’s participation in the event was never a sure thing. After all, according to the media, we should all stay home, practice our “social distancing” skills, and avoid any type of small gatherings.

I texted my brother that I understood his concerns – even offering a suggestion that they only plan to stay for a little while. Perhaps Mom could wear plastic gloves, eat first, and keep her drink with her at all times. Common sense suggestions, I thought – knowing that neither one of them wanted to miss the big occasion.

Through it all, however, I knew that President Trump had proclaimed March 15th as a National Day of Prayer for our nation, our leaders, and all those affected by the virus. What better day to get together than one in which the whole country was praying over our protection.

In my reassurance to my brother, I cited the following:

• Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. (Isaiah 43:1-3)

And so my brother and mother joined the birthday celebration. I can’t tell you how my heart soared when I learned that the bowling alley was empty of all but the party participants – effectively eliminating our communal health concerns and providing memories my nephew will always remember. Talk about an immediate answer to prayer!

What started as a day of worry became a worry-free event as we surrendered our concerns to God on the National Day of Prayer. My nephew’s sparkler-topped pizza seemed the perfect embodiment of our triumph over anxiety – serving as the proverbial icing on the cake of a tremendously blessed day. Only God could turn such trepidation into triumph.

As for me, across the miles, the photos I received of my smiling loved ones, facing down their fears in prayerful peace instead of pandemic panic, made my heart soar. God is merciful, and He hears our prayers – for our nation, our world leaders, and for our loved ones. Whether we’re praying for protection over a simple birthday party or our entire nation – God will take care of us all. 

When faced with future frightening situations, I pray we will always remember to turn our eyes away from the headlines and rest them upon Jesus, instead. 

References: 

1. Martens. T. (2020, March 14). Coronavirus fallout: Why closing Disneyland is such a blow to American optimism. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2020-03-14/disneyland-coronavirus-closure-reflects-america-mood. 
2. Worldometer. (2020, March 15). Retrieved from https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
3. World Health Organization. (2020, March 11). WHO Director-General’s opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19—11-march-2020
4. Davey, M. (2020, March 14). What is a pandemic and does it change the approach to coronavirus?. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/14/what-is-a-pandemic-coronavirus-covid-19
5. McKay, B. Calfas, Jr. & Ansari, T. (2020, March 11). Coronavirus Declared Pandemic by World Health Organization. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-coronavirus-cases-top-1-000-11583917794
6. Boyer, D. (2020, March 15). Trump proclaims national day of prayer for Americans affected by coronavirus. Washington Times. Retrieved from https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/mar/15/donald-trump-proclaims-national-day-prayer-america/

“The Lord gives His people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace.” (Psalm 29:11)

The opposite of peace is stress, not war. Most of us will, thankfully, never experience the ravages of war, but many of us will be decimated by stress. We sense it in our minds, reflect it on our bodies, and digest it into our souls. No doubt about it. Stress has the ability to control and destroy us from the inside out.

A recent study reported that sixty-eight percent of polled individuals claimed higher stress levels now than they’ve ever faced before, with an average individual spend of $960 a year on de-stressing activities (1). 

I, for one, can wholeheartedly confirm that statistic. My boss was recently promoted to a position where she answers directly to the president of our corporation. She now sits as one of the top ten people in our global organization. As her assistant, it goes without saying that coordinating her time, schedule, and event management has sent my stress level into the stratosphere. 

I spent many turbulent years in a former organization, chained to my work cell phone. The expectation was that I needed to be available to address work-needs twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Evenings, weekends, and holidays were all fair-game.

The same can be said for my current role. While it’s wonderful to be recognized for hard work and dedication, I can also fully appreciate the joys of working in a less stressful environment. I sleep better, enjoy my weekends more, and have a lot less anxiety when work obligations are diminished.

That being said, I’ve become much too verbal about the change in my workload, lately. Shame on me.

In one instance, I heard myself babbling about burdens instead of blessings to a group of vendors who were visiting our facility, recently. I walked away wondering at what I’d just done and feeling like the world’s biggest whiner. The encounter was so unlike me that it’s been troubling me, ever since. 

I am incredibly grateful for my job and consider it a great privilege to work for an intelligent and highly respected executive in an esteemed organization. I’m fortunate to have the position that I do. I can’t let myself lose sight of that reality.

Why, then, have I felt compelled to grouse so much, lately? Am I seeking understanding from others who can never possibly understand, or is an incongruous tongue just a by-product of an exhausted mind? 

All I know is that I’ve become more grumbly and less appreciative at work, and I’m not too fond of that persona. I’m a joy-filled person who doesn’t complain, not a whining curmudgeon that no one wants to be around. What kind of example am I setting as a Christian if I’m always bellyaching? Not a very good one. That’s for sure.

This morning, as I sat in my glorious screen porch, eating my Sunday breakfast of homemade waffles, a fried egg cooked over-easy, and a cup of milk, I was filled with a profound sense of peace.

Yes, my work-week is stressful, but I have a beautiful home, sweet kitties for company, and a beautiful yard to relax in. I am healthy, happy, and wholeheartedly appreciative of the blessings God has bestowed upon me. I am a daughter of the King of Kings, with a promised home in heaven. To let anxiety get the best of me is to let the devil rule over my life, and I can never allow that to happen. 

Today, as I opened my day-planner, I flipped to the new month of March, whose theme is – you guessed it – peace. The month begins with a quote from John Bunyan, stating, “But if ever we would live in peace and unity, we must pray for it.” (2) 

Behold, the missing component in my newly stressed life – prayer. I pray in thankfulness and intercession for my friends and family, but seldom have I prayed for peace. For the next thirty days, that reality is going to change. 

Starting today, I am focusing my mind, anew, on my blessings instead of my stressors. I will strive, daily, to be a source of happiness and peace to all those around me. I want to be a beacon of God’s love rather than a bulwark of obstinancy. 

The March 1st verse in my planner is Galatians 6:16, which reads, “God will bless you with peace.”

I couldn’t help but smile when I read that. He already has. 

In my daily Bible reading, today’s passage from Psalms reinforced this theme, already solidified in my mind. “The Lord gives His people strength. The Lord blessed them with peace.” (Psalm 29:11). 

How perfect to see this theme reinforced, yet again, in God’s word for my day.

Today, I am abdicating my tension to my Savior. The peace that passes understanding is newly flooding my soul. I vow to pray my way through this month in complete surrender to the One who has all the chaos and stressful triggers in my life under consummate control.

I don’t need to spend a thousand dollars on de-stressors this year. I have only to cling to Jesus. He longs to alleviate my burdens if I will only surrender them to Him. 

And surrender I will. “All to thee my blessed Savior, I surrender all.” (3)

Reference: 

1. SWNS. (2019, December 10). How much money we spend each year on trying to feel less stressed. Retrieved from https://nypost.com/2019/12/10/how-much-money-we-spend-each-year-on-trying-to-feel-less-stressed/
2. Bunyon, J. (1845). An Exhortation to Peace and Unity. Retrieved from https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3614/3614-h/3614-h.htm
3. Van de Venter, J.W. (n.d.) All to Jesus I surrender. Retrieved from https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/441.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2QCaKny7KY

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. (Romans 1:16)

I was privileged to attend a Volunteer Appreciation Banquet last Friday, sponsored by the Salvation Army of Savannah. While the food was tasty, and the speeches, engaging, what impressed me most was their open display of Christianity at such a public gathering. Here stood an organization that was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, as they openly displayed their belief for all the world to see. 

In today’s world of political correctness, hearing words of unabashedly Christian thankfulness did my heart good. While the term “salvation” admittedly stands at the forefront of this charity’s name, I was still pleasantly surprised at their open acknowledgment of Jesus Christ. This was not a private church event, after all, but a celebration of community volunteerism. 

I was there as a representative and invitee of the volunteer arm of my workplace. I was not expecting prayer to be a part of this assembly. Thankfully, my expectations were all wrong. 

According to the Savannah CEO website, “The Salvation Army, an international movement is an evangelical part of the universal Christian church. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.” (1) Somehow, I’d missed that memo and was caught off-guard by all the references to Christ. 

Upon entry, I looked at the banner that marked the entrance to the gymnasium where the event was held. Walking beneath the sign that read, “Jesus is Lord,” I could not help but smile. 

Even their manifesto, printed on bookmark-sized papers at every table, surprised me: 

“I serve a community.

A region. 

A nation.

A world.

I serve heroes.

I serve victims.

I serve a sovereign God…

I am an Army.

Drafted by the Creator.

Commissioned by a man who defied death.

My enemies are despair and destruction.

My ammunition is grace and mercy… 

I am doing the most good.” 

Amen to that. The Salvation Army is doing the most good. I learned just how much good they were doing in Savannah when I participated in their Red Kettle Campaign last December. According to information provided on the kettle tripods, more than eighty-thousand meals were served, and over twenty-nine thousand nights of lodging were provided to Savannah’s neediest individuals in 2018. 

The Salvation Army’s Facebook page reported that nine-hundred and fifty-two families received Christmas care packages, with gifts for two-thousand, seven-hundred children last December. Additionally, over one-thousand, two-hundred turkeys were distributed to needy families in our community. (2) An impressive set of statistics, indeed! 

With alcohol and drug rehabilitation programs, disaster relief services, and after-school tutorial sessions, it’s plain to see that this organization, celebrating its one-hundred and twentieth anniversary in Savannah, is doing an incredible amount of good. In truth, the word “good” hardly seems sufficient to describe the changed lives, second chances, and invigorated lives they are facilitating. 

I, for one, was especially encouraged by hearing the public opening and closing prayers at this assembly – not to mention the guest speaker’s reading of the Prayer of St. Francis. While the prayer is not one with blatant mention of Christ, the life of St. Francis was one surrendered to the principles our Savior embodies. 

“For it is in giving that we receive,

In pardoning that we are pardoned, 

It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.” (3)

While many organizations seek to “do good,” it’s encouraging and refreshing to know that there is one that does so in an unashamedly Christian manner. The homemade meatloaf, yellow rice, green beans, and chocolate cream pie couldn’t begin to satisfy my soul anywhere near as much as the assurance of knowing the Salvation Army seeks to better our community through such open, Christ-centered conduct. 

May we all take such a stance when given the opportunity. Our world would be a better place if we were all willing to stand guilty of such open proclamations of love and Christian faith. 

Reference: 

1. Feb. 2020. The Salvation Army Salutes Its Volunteers At Annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner. Retrieved from http://savannahceo.com/news/2020/02/salvation-army-salutes-its-volunteers-annual-volunteer-appreciation-dinner/
2. December 17, 2019. The Salvation Army of Savannah Georgia. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/SalvationArmySavannah/
3. Catholic News Agency. Peace prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. Retrieved from https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resources/saints/saints/peace-prayer-of-st-francis-of-assisi

Certainly, the Lord is just; he rewards godly deeds; the upright will experience his favor. (Psalm 11:7)

This past weekend, I was privileged to join a small group of volunteers from my workplace for a tour of the new Goodwill of Southeast Georgia’s Opportunity Center. The Center’s Mission Compliance and Advancement Coordinator guided us through the facility, explaining their mission to help community members with barriers to employment – be it homelessness, poverty, or even single parenthood. “If you’re moving from couch to couch every night, you’re just trying to survive,” explained Goodwin. “Employment is secondary.” 

How well I know this to be true. It would have been easy for me to let my painful marriage interfere with my employment. In the days after I moved away from my second abusive husband, I was afraid to answer the phone at work for fear it would be him – as it often would be.

I had a restraining order, yet my spouse would sit in his work truck outside the fence that surrounded my employers’ parking lot and wait for me to come out at night. I remember him calling me one day and telling me how easy it would be for him to ram my vehicle, push it off the road, and kidnap me to take me home. I had a restraining order, but such things are little more than a piece of paper with a threat behind it. Paper can’t stop trucks from ramming vehicles any more than flowers can prevent people from walking on the grass. 

I learned from experience how to put my home-life into a box and keep it there while I was at work. I poured all my energy into my performance and consistently surpassing what was expected of me. I loved working, and I flourished at my job. Employment took my mind off of my troubles. I had friends who supported me there, and I often felt that I was more myself with semi-strangers than I could ever be with a man I said vows to. I was happy working. I was free there. 

I can’t imagine not having a job. It provided confidence and gave me the means to escape, restart, and enhance my life. My employment offered tangible evidence that I was worthy, just as God always did, even when I was told I wasn’t. It helped me move beyond my temporary circumstances and into a more comfortable lifestyle. 

I have my own home now, but I’ve lived in Section 8 housing. I know what it’s like to have roaches that move from apartment to apartment, despite how clean you keep your space. I spent years living from paycheck to paycheck and counted my blessings for every little treat I could afford on the clearance rack and every penny in my pocket. 

I’m grateful for everything God has given me in life, but one doubtlessly divine sanction has always been my steadily improving employment. If I didn’t have a job, I would have remained under the total control of my spouse. If I didn’t have a good income, I couldn’t have moved out on my own. If I didn’t earn enhanced skills, I couldn’t have worked up the ladder. If I didn’t have the stamina to pursue my degree while working, I wouldn’t have the job I do today. I’ve had one blessing on top of another in life – but for me, it all started with prayer, perseverance, and a good paycheck. 

Goodwill’s mission is clear: Support. Educate. Employ. I’ve spent most of my life shopping at Goodwill. I’ve said before that I used to live in the apartment that Goodwill built. I’ve been happy with my purchases from their retail stores, but I never fully understood their mission until now. My visit on Saturday gave me a whole new understanding of what they’re trying to do: improve lives to improve the community – one person at a time. 

In just a few hours on a Saturday morning, I learned the bigger picture of how this outstanding organization does more than sell gently used clothing and household goods to persons with limited incomes. Goodwill strives to make a difference, which is something I work hard to do every day, myself. 

Our tour guide advised us that the Opportunity Center was built to train individuals to achieve better jobs. Goodwill caseworkers seek to reduce barriers for anyone hoping to find their way out of poverty. With computer-based and administrative training, program participants can find “a hand up, not a hand out” – a stellar philosophy I never knew originated from Goodwill’s founder, Methodist minister, Rev. Edgar J. Helms. (1)

While my volunteer service at Goodwill was rewarding unto itself, as an added bonus, I found a stellar pair of red heels in my precise size, while searching for matching mates to bundle together for the retail store. I had been looking for a pair of shoes exactly like this for months. Imagine my delight when I encountered the heels in a fifteen by six-foot bin I was sorting through. 

Upon presentation of my find to the floor lead as he walked our group out of the warehouse, he advised my fellow volunteers that they, too, might find treasures “just like this young lady did,” if they wanted to stick around and shop. I could only laugh as I proudly paid for what felt like a great reward for a few hours of service. 

The real reward, though, is what God can do through all of us if we only allow Him to do so. Find a good deed to perform for others. Seek out a way to bless those less fortunate around you. Pursue that calling inside of you to make a difference. 

You never know what reward awaits you: a better job, a happy heart, or even a new pair of red shoes. Don’t be afraid to reach into the bin and see what you can find when you seek to do more for God and others.  

Reference: 

1. Goodwill Industries International. (2020). Goodwill’s history. Retrieved from https://www.goodwill.org/about-us/goodwills-history/.

For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. (Psalm 91: 11-12)

I’m a firm believer in guardian angels, and this week served to validate that assertion further. 

Seven minutes before I clocked out for the end of my day on Thursday, I received a message from my brother that shocked me out of work-mode. “I just totaled my car,” his text read. More importantly, he continued, “I’m ok.” 

How easily that message could have been different. How quickly our lives can change forever. A few seconds’ difference, a distracted driver, more hazardous conditions, a wrong decision in judgment, slower reactions – anything could have changed the outcome of that text concerning my brother’s safety. Thank God He is safe. Thank God He and the other driver could walk away, completely unscathed. 

None of those realities are lost on me. A car can be replaced. People can’t. 

In the past five months, I’ve had quite a few reminders of life’s frailty. My best friend went home to heaven, another friend was diagnosed with cancer, many of my co-workers were laid off of their jobs, my dear friend fell and broke her hip, and my brother was in a car accident. My new mealtime prayer is, “Thank you, Jesus, for my blessings – this food, my family, my job, my health, my home, our safety, and your love. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” 

One blessing I readily take for granted is the miracle of God’s protection while I am driving. Think about it. We load ourselves into a device that could easily be considered a deadly weapon and trust that everyone around us will obey the traffic laws, keep an eye out for hazards, concentrate on the road, and make sound decisions in how they operate their dangerous equipment. 

The Georgia Department of Transportation reports the following sobering statistics: 

• 70% of all crash fatalities are caused by unsafe driving behaviors, including distractions, impairment, or driving too fast for conditions.
• There were 1,463 roadway fatalities in Georgia in 2019 – an average of four deaths a day. Already in 2020, 103 highway deaths were reported in my state. (1)

God protects us. How often we forget that. With the myriad of potential hazards that could affect us each day, most of us are blessed to say that our lives consistently remain healthy, safe, and pain-free. When was the last time we stopped to give thanks for such blessings? How quick we are to become complacent to such protection.

But hear me out. Just because God can protect us doesn’t mean that He always will. We, as Christians, are not immune to the heartaches, rejection, pain, and tragedies that life brings. Quite the opposite. God often uses challenges to bring us closer to His side – to mold and shape us into the persons He wants us to be.

People who know what it is to be broken can better help broken people. Those who’ve been hurt can more readily understand those who are hurting. We, who know how God stood with us through our trials and helped us out of our pits, are better equipped to help others through their own downfalls. Who better to throw a lifeline than one who was trained through the fire to do so?

Yes. God can protect us – and I am ever so grateful when He does.

But I am prepared to trust His will, whether He protects me or my loved ones or not.

As today’s scripture notes, “ He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways” (Psalm 91:11). I have no doubt that my brother was protected by guardian angels this past week. His car serves as evidence of a divine hand of protection over his life, and I am incredibly grateful for that. I cherish my brother and can’t imagine him not being here. He is a precious part of our family and brings infinite love and joy to all of us. 

Thanks to God, I have countless more days to laugh, confer, share, confide, and rejoice with my brother. I thank the Lord for such an incredible blessing! 

Tomorrow isn’t promised. Our safety and that of our loved ones is an unfathomable gift that we daily receive. May we never forget to thank our celestial Father for His sacred preservation of our humble lives.

Each day that I and my loved loved ones are safe, healthy, and pain-free is a blessing. I thank my God for His divine hand of protection – today and every day He grants it.

And I will thank Him tomorrow if He chooses otherwise for my life. The God I serve is a good, good Father and I trust His will over my humble existence.

Your grumblings are not against us but against the Lord. (Exodus 16:8)

What a grumbling people we are – myself included. I count my blessings each day, but still, I complain. 

We all know the story of how Moses led the Israelites on their Exodus out of Egypt. Although the people witnessed the miracles of the ten plagues, walked through the middle of the Red Sea on dry land, and were led in the desert by a pillar of cloud by day and one of fire at night, they grumbled against God and wanted to return to Egypt. 

I’ve often thought of how ungrateful the Israelites were as they complained that they didn’t have meat to eat. 

“Would that we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt when we sat by the pots of meat when we ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” (Exodus 16:3) 

How easy it is to grow dissatisfied with what we have. How simple it is to complain about what’s wrong with our lives rather than to concentrate on what is right. 

Each quarter, the president of my corporation holds an All Hands meeting for all permanent employees. After providing his state of the union address to the company, he opens the floor up to questions. Without exception, someone always stands up to complain about something they don’t think is right. Most of the complaints seem silly: the traffic is too heavy when we leave for lunch, for example. 

During our most recent session, one gentleman seized the opportunity to complain about long hours, noting that employees should be considered customers of the president – and as valuable to the company as our consumers are. 

A foolish move, I thought. Your boss sees you standing to make this complaint. HR knows your name as you’re recorded for all posterity. Don’t you know who you’re complaining against and how it may negatively impact your future? Are you not grateful to have a job when we laid off 446 of your team members just a few months ago? 

Nevertheless, as I shared stories of my work challenges with friends, I realized that I am no better than this gentleman who stood up to voice his complaint to the head of our company. My frustrations may have come out of utter overload, but I’m confident this man’s were, as well. My audience may have been considerably smaller, but the intent was the same. I was concentrating on negative emotions rather than positive realities. Even as I heard myself speak, I apologized for complaining – then continued doing so. 

My conscience has pricked me this weekend, reminding me that I am as much of a whiner as anyone else around me. Incredible blessings surround me, yet I continually focus on small annoyances. I know I need to do better; so, I am praying that God gives me the strength to rise above my current circumstances and trust Him with my future. 

As my Bible reading reminded me this week, when I complain, I am doing so against God. He is the one who controls every aspect of my life. There may be things that don’t sit well with me. I may be overwhelmed, overstressed, and overlooked at times, yet I am never unloved, unprotected, and undervalued by God. I often forget who I am querulous with and how my negativity can affect my peers.

Complaining to the corporate president is one thing. Griping to God is quite another thing altogether. I need to be more grateful and less grumbly.

The Ruler of the Universe loves me and has my best interests at heart. I pray that the next time I feel compelled to complain about something, I will remember how blessed I am, instead. 

I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are My people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God. (Zechariah 13:9)

Nothing I’ve ever accomplished in life ever came easy. Every step, every inch, every molecule was fought for. 

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have things come easier. But then I wouldn’t be who I am today – and I wouldn’t have the same level of compassion for others that I do if it did. 

I work as an executive assistant. I currently support a vice president at a global corporation. In my previous role, I assisted a university president. My job is to make sure that my executives are prepared, equipped, and supported in every way necessary so that they can do their jobs successfully. 

There’s a trust that exists in this relationship that is hard to replicate. While the old saying goes that behind every good man stands a good woman, I would say that behind every successful executive is an outstanding assistant. My mind is always thinking ahead, planning, anticipating the next hour, week, and month. My boss knows that I will take care of her as she’s experienced my dependability. 

I didn’t just fall into this job. I worked hard for it. I’ve learned what questions to ask, which people to reach out to for assistance, and how each of my bosses – current and previous – expected of me. Such skills can only be honed with time and experience. There’s no substitute for that. 

My Christian walk is much the same. I didn’t just become who I am overnight. 

I’ve always had a strong faith – don’t get me wrong. I loved God my whole life and purposely chose to walk close beside him at a young age. While other high schoolers were drinking or carousing, I studied hard and made time each night to listen to sermons on the radio. My favorite broadcast was Insight for Living with Chuck Swindoll (1). I made time to listen to Pastor Swindoll’s radio show, each evening, and sent away for his Bible study guides to enhance my listening experiences. 

My whole life, I’ve made a conscious choice to walk with God and live by faith. 

Nevertheless, I’ve made countless tragic mistakes that have cost me dearly. The choices I’ve made have come at a high price – to me and others. It’s taken me half a lifetime to overcome some of my wrong decisions. 

Yet, through it all, God stayed beside me. His love, compassion, and infinite strength have molded me into the person that I am today. My unrelenting convictions have been honed in the fire through countless ordeals that only the Savior could have seen me through. 

My fortitude was hard-earned yet of the purest refinement. My trust in God is unbreakable. Nothing has ever touched my life that was not allowed by God. He prepares, equips, and supports me every moment of my existence. Everything in my past, present, and future has a purpose, even if it is only to remind me of my weakness and need for divine intervention. My testimony has been purified through time and experience. There’s no substitute for either. 

I’m glad that God uses broken things, as He’s been melting and refining me most of my life. I pray that others may be strengthened by my witness. 

Reference: 

1. Swindoll, C. R. https://www.insight.org/

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. (Psalm 91:1)

Last weekend, I had lunch with one of my dear friends, in celebration of her birthday. The conversation turned to talk of my hope for the future, as well as events from my past. I only revealed my full testimony to this friend a few months ago, even though we’ve known each other for over seven years. Only a select few people ever knew my whole story until recently, but now that I’ve blogged about it, I’ve become more comfortable sharing it. 

Towards the end of our luncheon, my friend looked me in the eye and remarked how she never knew anyone who experienced the things that I have. “You could have your own reality TV show, and everyone would be mesmerized,” she said. “I know I’d watch it, faithfully!” 

While I laughed, she told me she was serious. Truth is often stranger than fiction. Guess that’s why Americans are so addicted to reality TV. We all want to know the drama going on next door.   

I’ll never forget a former minister’s words as he entreated us to remember to be kind to one another, as we never know what kind of struggle the person next to us is going through. Life is messy. It hurts. Bad things happen to all of us. We get sick. We lose our jobs. People take advantage of us. We hate our jobs. We never get enough sleep. We don’t have enough money. Our bodies break down, and our loved ones die. Life is hard. 

But that’s not to say that life can’t also be good — quite the contrary. Life can be as joyous as it is heartbreaking. The wonderment of newfound love, the incredulity of a fiery sunset, the satisfaction of a dream fulfilled – all these things give life meaning as they fill our souls with the exhilaration of being alive. 

In my lifetime, I’ve experienced both gutwrenching pain and abject joy. While I’ve often said I can do with a lot less of the former, I believe my appreciation for the latter comes from having walked through the difficult. We can’t fully appreciate mountaintop experiences unless we’ve struggled through the valleys. If our lives were consistently full of sunshine and rainbows, we’d soon come to take the sun for granted. There’s nothing like the stark contrast of blue skies after days filled with a deep grey. 

And so, I count my blessings daily. I start my prayers to God with thank you’s for the good things He’s blessed me with before I ever begin my list of petitions. I can always find something to complain about. I prefer not to. 

I actively choose to look for the good in life. I purposely place painful things behind me, sometimes even as I’m walking through them. I don’t dismiss them. I walk through them because I know God is with me. I know He will give me rest on the other side of my trials. Good and bad circumstances are both a part of life. There are always two sides to every coin. 

Knowing this truth, I elect to dwell in the shelter of the Most High. I can find joy through even the most difficult of circumstances because I commit to rest in the shadow of the Almighty. God is with me. He’s walked me through the valleys and has placed me on mountaintops. I know He will continue to do so, all the remaining days of my life.  

I don’t know how exciting a reality television show would be if it were to focus on someone who refuses to stay down, no matter how many punches are thrown – but that is my existence. I’ve been leveled more than a few times in my lifetime, and I expect to be decimated a few more – but that’s okay. I know who my Savior is, and I know He will always be with me. There’s no storm He can’t see me through and no heartache I can’t overcome with His help.

Rest in His shadow, beloved, and you, too, can say the same.

“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34)

Tomorrow isn’t promised to us. How well I know this to be true. I’ve said it many times and live my life knowing that today’s joy might be gone tomorrow. Every day is a gift. 

Last Monday, I received a phone call from a dear friend of mine, telling me that she had fallen, broken her hip, and would be undergoing surgery, later that day. Such news had significant ramifications for both her and me. As her primary point of contact, the hospital called me, advising me of her health status and requesting decisions to be made regarding the next steps for her care. 

I was not prepared to make such decisions and knew I needed to discuss things with my friend, in-person. In the blink of an eye, her world and mine were looking quite different than those of the two independent women we once were. I contacted all my prayer warriors, and we began praying for everything to end well – with a full recovery for my dear friend. 

During the week, I returned to my crisis mode of thinking – taking everything one step at a time. God was, is, and always will be in control. I know this with my whole heart – yet the many considerations that were weighing on my mind were pressing down on my spirit. 

Two days after the surgery, my daily scripture reading took me to Matthew 6 – Christ’s Sermon on the Mount – where I was reminded, anew, not to worry about tomorrow. 

“Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?” (V. 25-26) 

My new Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible boasts a half-page breakdown to the above, discussing the question of how we can overcome anxiety. Dr. Stanley equates our reaction to stress as similar to that of a mouse running on a wheel.

“The faster he runs, the faster the wheel moves – but he doesn’t make the slightest progress. He does not even have the sense to get off the wheel. This is exactly what anxiety does to you. As fearful thoughts fill your mind, you begin to run faster, trying harder to meet the demands of others or to prevent an uncertain disaster. But you will never gain complete control over your circumstances because God is the One who is solely in control of all things. 

“There is only one way to step off the wheel: by acknowledging the Lord’s ability to take care of every need you have.” (1) 

Such insight came to me precisely when I needed it. While I knew in my heart that God had everything under control, anxiety was seeping into my spirit as I worried about what was going to happen in the future. I was needlessly running on a wheel with no possible outcome other than stress. 

God holds supremacy over all of our lives. He alone knows what the future holds. I can spend my days worrying about what tomorrow will look like – or I can give my concerns to the only one who already knows how they will resolve. There is tremendous comfort in that submission. 

Today, I am stepping off the worry wheel and fully acknowledging God’s ability to handle my future as well as my friend’s. He is in control, and His will is sovereign. He alone knows what will happen tomorrow. I relinquish my burdens to His omniscient hands.

Reference: 

1. Stanley, C.F. “How can I overcome anxiety?” in the Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Daily Bible: New American Standard Version. Nashville. Thomas Nelson, 2011. Pg. 32. 

She is clothed in strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. (Proverbs 31: 25)

My name is Sara, and I love beautiful clothes. There I said it. I’m a clothes-horse, and I’m not afraid to admit it. My work wardrobe is so large that it can’t fit in one closet. I probably have enough business apparel that I could go for months and never wear the same outfit twice.

Have no fear. I spend very little on clothing, and I never buy anything at full price. My two favorite clothing stores are Goodwill and JC Penney; so, that should speak volumes. While I formerly worked for someone who spent hundreds of dollars on single pairs of shoes, I’m happiest when I can use a sale coupon, rewards dollars, and clearance mark-down to buy a dress at a fraction of the retail cost. 

I’ll never forget being complimented by a former employer, whose wardrobe would shame any A-lister, on a gorgeous sapphire blue dress I wore with matching shoes and earrings. My entire ensemble may have cost me a total of twenty-five dollars, but it looked like a million bucks. It’s all in how you wear it. Own it, I say. Beauty emanates from assurance.

Much more important to me than anything I wear on the outside will always be the substance of my inner spirit. My internal character determines how I will approach each day and is continually on display.

God promised never to leave me or forsake me (Deuteronomy 31:6). He is my strength and my defense (Psalm 118:14). God gives me fortitude and blesses me with peace (Psalm 29:11). He promised that He would be with me through fire and water (Isaiah 43:2). I take hope in His unfailing love (Psalm 147:11). His joy gives me strength (Nehemiah 8:10). He puts a new song in my heart (Psalm 40:3) 

God’s faithfulness and the presence of His eternal compassion give me confidence. I’m clothed with His promises as I bathe myself in daily sermon podcasts. I ingest His Word through committed everyday Bible reading. I blanket my mind with contemporary Christian music in every possible free moment. These are the choices I make to sustain my sense of peace.

The love of God is much more important to me than any article of clothing I may wear on my body. God lifted me from the ashes and restored my spirit. He gives me assurance, contentment, and security. Nothing on earth can ever come close to the magnitude of Christ’s love for me. 

As wall-art above my bed, I’ve fastened the vinyl letters of today’s focus verse. Each day, I see these words and smile, knowing that God made them real to me. Strength and dignity are my clothing, and I have no fear of the future. How could I when I walk with the confidence of Christ? 

May you say the same, too, my beloved.

Christ’s love for you cost him everything. He paid for it with His blood. Own it. Wear it with confidence. Let it cover you with strength and dignity. Let God’s grace emanate from the inside out so you, too, may display the beauty of this internal assurance. It’s the single-best item you will ever possess and the only one that will matter in the end, anyway.

Once you put on God’s love, you, too, will be able to “laugh without fear of the future.” Clothe yourself with Christ’s blood, and you will forever own the perfect wardrobe.