Daily Devotional

I have always felt like I am one of the lucky ones. I’ve gone to all the camps and events I could. I’ve always felt like God and I were best buds. I had difficult times but I always knew that God was there and I didn’t have to be afraid.

That was until I faced my darkest moment. A time when I felt guilt, pain, and darkness all around. It made me so confused and scared that I might not know what light was anymore. I could relate well to King David as well as the Disciples…

“A work in progress!” Those are the only words I can use to describe myself at this time in my life. I’ve lived long enough and had enough experiences to mature in some ways, but I still say and do cringe-worthy things. When will I ever learn? I believe the answer is found in 1 John 4:12: No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.

What a great scripture! So, how do we love one another? When I think of loving others, I always think of my grandkids. I love them unconditionally. When they say or do something they shouldn’t do, I forgive them.

I always give them the benefit of the doubt by thinking about their intentions instead of their actions. I love watching them learn new things and can see the numerous ways God has blessed them with intelligence, talent, beauty, and wonderful personalities… ok, I’ll stop!  You get the idea. I need to see everyone through this same lens of love, through the eyes of God.

But what do we do about those who are difficult to love?…

When I was in college, I had a hard time coping with college life and being an “adult.” I chose to skip some of my college classes, especially those scheduled at 8 a.m.  I know I am not the first college student to do this, and I doubt I will be the last.  I had a tough time figuring out what I wanted to do with my life.  At 18 years old, I thought I was meant to be a performer by dancing my way through life.  My dreams were quickly crushed and, as a dramatic young adult, I thought my life was over.  My parents were my cheerleaders during this time. They told me to continue my college education at Oklahoma City University and encouraged me to enjoy my passion of dancing as a hobby.  They lifted me up and reminded me that I needed to keep my mind and heart open to new possibilities.

Little did I realize that God was helping me through this difficult time in my life…

I love each of the gospel stories that tell of Jesus’ death and resurrection.  However, my favorite might be found in the Gospel of John: Jesus has been taken down from the cross, and placed in a borrowed grave. Mary and the disciples returned to the tomb, early that morning, expecting to find the body of Jesus; only to discover an empty tomb. Make no mistake about it, the women and disciples were disappointed; they were afraid; they trembled in fear wondering what had gone wrong; what would happen now to them. Peter and the other disciples left the tomb, heartbroken and confused, wondering how things could have gone so wrong.

But Mary Magdalene remained: devastated, weeping, wondering how people could be so cruel? Mary had seen and been through a lot of tough times, but never anything as heart-wrenching as what she witnessed on what we call “Good Friday.” For the One who was the first to treat her like a human being; the One who had touched and changed her life, the One she had watched do so many wondrous things, the One on whom she had pinned such hopes… was dead!  Crucified!

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you;He will never leave you or forsake you. – Deuteronomy 31:6

Change is an inevitable part of life. We grow and evolve, and with each new season, we face challenges and opportunities for growth. It can be difficult to let go of the familiar and embrace the unknown, but sometimes change becomes our greatest blessing.

In 2020, I started singing with the LifeLight worship team in Edmond while attending the University of Central Oklahoma. I was searching for a church home, having grown up singing in the worship band at the United Methodist Church in Muskogee, Oklahoma…

And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. But there were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment thus wasted? For this ointment might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and given to the poor.” And they reproached her. But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you will, you can do good to them; but you will not always have me. She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burying. And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”

“The necessary fruit of this love of God is the love of our neighbor, of every sould which God hath made… a love whereby we love every man as ourselves – as we love our own souls. Nay, our Lord has expressed it still more strongly, teaching us to ‘love one another even as he hath loved us.’ Accordingly the commandment written in the hearts of ll those that love God is no other than this, ‘As I have loved you, so love ye one another.’ Now ‘herein perceive we the love of God, in that he laid down his life for us. We ought’, then, as the Apostle justly infers, ‘to lay down our lives for our brethren’ (1 John 3:16).

When you’re stressed out while traveling, the last thing you want to see is an employee who is lying down on thejob. But sitting down on the job? That became a blessing to an entire flight of passengers – especially a woman witha serious case of aerophobia, an extreme fear of flying… something 25 million Americans struggle to overcome.

She was recently on a Delta flight from Charlotte to New York, and expressed to the person seated behind her, Molly Simonson Lee, that she was nervous about the trip. Even before takeoff, she became visibly shaken by each sound theplane made (and commercial planes make a lot of strange noises). What happened next inspired Molly to post the experience on Facebook…

One morning when Brooks was a young boy, I was backing out of the garage and became distracted. I felt a dull thud as my car hit the basketball goal. I groaned and asked Brooks to hop out and check if there was any damage. I watched him walk to the back of the car and then – thoroughly examine the basketball goal for any marks. He got back in and said, “Whew, it’s fine.” I sat there for a second and then asked him if he checked the car. He seemed surprised but immediately got out and gave the bumper a cursory look before letting me know that it too, was ok.

I’ve often thought of the incredulity I felt over Brooks not realizing that I was concerned about my car. But I’m sure that Brooks was just as surprised that I wasn’t more worried about the basketball goal…

Living in today’s culture, it is obvious life is engulfed in competition. People compete vigorously in sports, arts, entertainment, fashion, politics, and the list goes on. Sadly, it pits human against human. For winners, self-esteem is enhanced, ego is pumped, popularity is affirmed and in some events, finances are substantially rewarded. On the other hand, losers of competitions feel insignificant and egos and self-assurance are deflated. Even as individuals, we find competition within ourselves. We struggle with bettering ourselves physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. We compete with breaking old habits, beginning new and healthy lifestyles, and even strengthening our spiritual devotion to God and others.

While competition in any form can sometimes be seen as ugly and grueling, there is also a positive spin…