Almost done!

I am in the last phase of publishing Snapshots.  Some things, like the subtitle, have changed.  :)  But fortunately, the heart and the soul of this devotional/bible study is intact.  I simply cannot wait to see all God has planned for the stories he inspired me to share.  I pray something I have written will touch your heart, bring you peace and increasing faith.  God really loves us so much!  It is his joy to demonstrate that love to each of us in so many wonderful ways.  My challenge for you is to look for the Snapshots of his love each and every day! 

Trusting Him

And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:19

When I was a young girl I would often spend the night at my cousin’s farm.  My uncle Bobby was one of my favorite relatives.  He always took the time to visit with me and he loved teasing me.  When he smiled, his eyes light up and sparkled in a way that drew people to him.  The room always seemed lighter and brighter with him around. 

One morning as we sat at the kitchen table patiently waiting for my aunt to finish preparing breakfast, I noticed a beautiful bowl of fresh fruit.  There were bananas, apples and an assortment of oranges; some small, and some very, very large.  When my uncle offered me a piece, I hesitated for just a bit.  I was so hungry and the oranges looked so good!  I knew the polite thing to do would be to take one of the smaller oranges, but my hunger got the better of me as I reached out with my tiny hand and grasped the largest orange in the bowl.  Imagine my surprise when I took my very first bite of a grapefruit!  I can still see the amused look on my uncle’s face as I struggled to finish what I thought was the worst tasting orange I had ever experienced!  He even offered to finish it for me.  But my pride wouldn’t allow it.  To this day, I cannot stand the taste of grapefruit!

Much like that morning so many years ago, I often find myself in a waiting period.  Many times I have refused to wait on God’s timing and took matters (or grapefruit) into my own hands.  This just never works!  Often, I make matters worse and increase my time in waiting.  As I’m growing in my faith, I’m learning that one of the keys to waiting on God’s timing is to trust that He knows what I need and He will meet those needs each and every day.  So how about you?  Has your own impatience and stubborn pride left a bitter taste in your mouth?  Maybe it’s time to try something new.  Maybe it’s time to let go and trust Him.   

Technical Difficulties!

Hello!  I need to do some checking with my publisher before I post any more of my devotions.  Yep!  You read it right!  I now have a publisher for my devotional book!  I am officially under contract with them for Snapshots and so I want to be absolutely sure my posts won't jeopardize the publishing process.  As soon as I know more, I will let you know.  You might say I'll keep you posted!  Giggle, giggle. 

If you enjoy my devotional blog, you'll love it in book form as well!  Never fear!  God is flooding me each and every day with new ideas for the next devotional!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my thoughts on our wonderful Heavenly Father!

Love, Sissy

Week 10 - Fit to be Tied

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.  We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Over the years I've tried all kinds of hobbies from silk flower arrangements to stained glass art.  And even though I've enjoyed almost every hobby I've tried, only one seems to stand the test of time, namely crocheting.  When I was a young girl my mother sat me down and taught me the basics.  I began with making a simple chain and soon moved on to single, double and triple crochet.  Soon I was making scarves, hats and blankets.  It amazed me how a simple, seemingly useless length of yarn could be transformed into things people use every day! 

I also loved the basket of yarn my mother gave me.  It was full of every different color you could imagine.  Some were very beautiful and some I didn't really care for, but I kept every last bit.  In time I would end up using all of it and often found myself searching for yarn sales to replenish my stock. 

I realize now that my life has a lot of parallels to the art of crochet.  Some days I feel like the "not so pretty" yarn that's settled to the bottom of the basket.  Other days I feel right on top!  Maybe you can relate?  I'm learning though, that wherever I find myself, or however I feel on any given day, God has a plan for me.  And just as I cherished every scrap of yarn my mother gave me, God cherishes each and every one of us.  He has a purpose for each of us and He will never forsake us. 

So what's my challenge in all of this?  When I find myself on the bottom of the basket and I've lost sight of God's purpose for me, I need to wait on the Lord and trust my time will come.  I also need to be ready and willing to fulfill my purpose when the Lord calls me.  I can prepare myself through prayer and studying God's word.  And just as the yarn bends, twists and turns in the crafter's hands, I need to be equally flexible and willing to follow God's lead wherever it may take me.  I need to trust and obey.  I need to be fit enough to be tied.  Are you? 

~Up Close and Personal~

Do you ever have days where nothing you try seems to work out quite right? 

Do you often find yourself wondering if God would ever choose to use you?

Has it ever occurred to you that you really only need just one thing to serve God and his kingdom?  What do you think that one thing is?

It all comes down to this.  You need a willing heart.  If you would only put your own agenda aside and decide to follow God’s lead, He would supply you with everything else needed to become a faithful, effective servant for His kingdom.  Not sure you’re able to offer Him your whole heart?  Ask Him for help!  It is His will that you would follow Him. 

~Name It~

Read 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 aloud.

Why is it so important to wholeheartedly serve God?

It is our calling.  Our very purpose here on earth is to glorify God.  This verse also implies that we have been created with a desire for goodness and the work of faith and power.  So if our very purpose is to glorify God through our service to Him and the desire to do just that is hard-wired into us, how fulfilling must that be?!  Fulfilling our God given destiny has got to be the ultimate reward any child of Christ could ask for!

~Claim It~

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that you would help me to give you my whole heart in willing service.  Help me fulfill my calling; the very purpose you created and designed me to fulfill.  Help me embrace your plan for my life.  Help me trust in you to provide me with all I’ll ever need to glorify you!  Thank you Father, for allowing me to take part in the building of your glorious kingdom!

In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.

Week 9 - Waiting Room

Psalm 40:1

I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.

Isaiah 40:31

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

One crisp fall morning I arose bright and early and drove to the hospital.  I was proctoring an exam that started at 6:30 a.m.  As I sat in the quiet conference room during the test, I began to think of all the other early morning trips I had made to the hospital throughout my life.  There was my very first visit when I became our area’s New Years Baby.  There were many surgeries for both my loved ones and myself, the joyous births of my children and sadly the loss of a few very dear friends and loved ones.  All these significant, life-changing events centered around one place, the hospital, and one theme, waiting.

I don't care too much for waiting.  It is not something that I enjoy and it certainly does not come naturally to me.  One of the things I find most difficult about waiting is that it appears as if nothing is really happening while you wait.  The wait seems to serve no purpose.  Also, I sometimes forget that some of the waiting periods in my life aren't necessarily about me.  Often, God is working in the lives of others close to me during this waiting period.  Another thing I don't care for in waiting is the helplessness that I sometimes feel.  I have often tried to take matters into my own hands to end the wait only to make things much worse.  

The Bible carries many promises for those who wait.  God's word teaches us that His timing is perfect.  He isn't in a hurry like we are.  He has no problem taking the time needed to bring about what is best for us.  Even when it appears as if nothing is happening, God is always at work in our lives.  The next time you find yourself in one of life's waiting rooms, turn to God for the strength and understanding you need to see it through.  God uses every circumstance, every struggle, every wait to draw us nearer to Him and to develop godly character in us.  I think it no accident that He positions us in a place of healing like a hospital during some of life's most difficult waiting periods.  Even when we cannot see His hand, we can be reassured that He is looking out for our best interests.

~Up Close and Personal~

Are you in a waiting period right now?  Is there something you’ve been praying about for a very long time? 

Have you ever grown so impatient that you’ve taken matters into your own hands rather than waiting on God for a definite answer?

Have you ever made matters much worse by acting in haste rather than trusting and relying on God to help you?

Waiting isn’t easy for anyone.  However, no amount of time is ever wasted in God’s plans.  If we can acknowledge that He is sovereign and always at work in our lives, the wait will become easier.  In fact, if we truly understand His love for us and His power in our lives, we can embrace each waiting period and all it has to offer us in the way of building both our faith and our character.  The more we are called to wait, the more God entrusts us with a magnificent growth opportunity. 

~Name It~

Read Psalm 40:1 aloud.

What is the promise included in this scripture?

If we wait patiently for the Lord, He will hear our cry.

Read Isaiah 40:31 aloud.

What are the promises included in this scripture?

Those who hope in (wait for) the Lord will gain strength.  They will sour like the eagles.  They will not tire.  They will not become weary.

~Claim It~

Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive me for my distorted view on the waiting periods you have placed in my life.  So often I have been too narrow minded about these time periods and what is really happening in them.  Help me to trust that no matter what I can or can’t see, you are always at work in my life and in the lives of those I love.  Help me embrace each new waiting period as an opportunity to grow closer to you.  Strengthen my faith during these difficult times.  Help me to trust you and to wait for your perfect timing.

In your heavenly name I pray, Amen.

Week 8 - Arachnophobia

Psalm 27:1

The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life-of whom shall I be afraid?

Late one spring my mother and I set out to visit our local beauty salon.  I had barely slept the night before as I anticipated how wonderful my hair would look after my first permanent.  You're laughing right now, aren't you?  After an hour of hair-pulling, nasty-smelling suspense, I arose from my beauty salon throne a new girl!  My naturally wavy auburn hair had been transformed into a full-blown mass of frizz and curl.

Once the crying subsided, I decided to go outside and play for a while.  Might as well try to forget about it, right?  The distraction seemed to work as I was feeling much better about the whole situation.  That is until I noticed something dangling from my bangs.  A left behind permanent rod you ask?  Why no, it was a big, fat, disgusting barn spider!  Apparently the little procrastinator was too lazy to build his own web, so he decided to move into my new rat's nest instead! 

I have always been deathly afraid of spiders, so finding my little stow away was quite traumatic for me.  In no time at all I had convinced myself that for some strange reason the spider was attracted to my newly curled hair.  Suddenly the next six to eight weeks stretched out before me like a nightmare.  There would be a mass migration to my curly head of every species of spider known to man!  My future seemed very grim as I anticipated the horror of it all.

Isn't fear a funny thing.  It can start out so small and grow at such an alarming rate.  We can begin to feel overcome in little to no time. Fear is most often completely irrational and can lead even the most intellectual of people to the strangest conclusions.  Many people don't realize this, but God knows fear is a major issue for us.  In fact, He tells us in one form or another "do not fear" about 365 times throughout the Bible.  That's once for every day of the year! 

So what can we do with all this fear?  Well, since most fears are based on fiction and our own vivid imaginations, common sense would tell us the way to combat fear would be to focus on what we KNOW is true.  And what's the source of all truth?  God's word is.  So the next time you find yourself overcome with fear, get into God's word and seek His guidance and peace.  Choose to believe in Him and His faithfulness.  In other words, choose faith in God and don't believe everything you fear. 

~Up Close and Personal~

Can you think of a time when your fears took over?

Looking back on the situation, do some of the thoughts you were having in that moment now seem very irrational?

~Name It~

Read Psalm 27:1 aloud.

It’s perfectly normal to experience fear.  What we do with our fears is what matters most.  What is the promise found in Psalm 27:1?

When we turn to the Lord as our light and our salvation, we will have nothing and no one to fear!  How do you think this truth is applied to our everyday lives?

Again, we are faced with a choice.  When we find ourselves in a situation that evokes fear, we can choose to focus on the situation and let the fear overwhelm us or we can shift our focus to God and trust in Him to deliver us. 

Courage is often mistaken as the opposite of fear or the lack of fear.  The true definition of courage is the ability to confront and overcome one’s fears.  My challenge for you the next time you are filled with fear is to turn to God and trust in Him.  He will give you all the courage you need.

~Claim It~

Dear Heavenly Father, in today’s world there always seems to be an abundance of things that can fill us with fear and worry.  I pray that you would help us trust in you.  Give us the reassurance of knowing and experiencing your love first hand.  Strengthen our faith in you!  Help us overcome any unbelief we may be struggling with.  In all things, help us seek you and your will for our lives.

In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.