This morning I’m sitting here apologizing to God for a pity party I’ve been throwing in my mind.

Full blown pity party, y’all. Streamers, cake, punch – the whole shebang.

The thing is – stuff happens. Humans happen. Life happens. I’ve got to get better at handling the stuff.

Whatever situation you’ve currently found yourself in – Jesus has been there. He knows exactly how you are feeling.

However.

The question to ask yourself is how did Jesus handle these situations? How did He make it through?

He leaned on God.

He believed God’s promises.

He believed in God’s goodness.

He cried.

He prayed.

He moved on.

He kept doing God’s will.

It’s hard, y’all. It’s really hard. But we have a savior that knows exactly how we feel. We have a savior that actually went through more in 33 years than we could ever imagine.

Look to Him. Cling to Him. Let Him dictate how you respond to trials and unexpected situations.

If we’re gonna throw a shindig in our mind, throw one for Jesus. A daily celebration of resurrection and life and blessings.

Now that’s a party.

“Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him!” Philippians 4:4 (MSG)

Dear Frantic Mommas,

The countdown to the first day is approaching like a rocket ship. The question lurking at the back of all of our minds – are we ready?

The house isn’t organized. Lunches aren’t bought. Kids have been staying up until midnight for three months. Lord, help us all.

Let’s get it together as much as possible, but let’s enjoy this rocket ship of a ride. Let’s try to not let our frantic, OCD tendencies take precedence over what’s really going on right now.

And what’s really going on is that we’ve raised these amazing, little creatures that are about to take on their world. They are game-changers, rule-breakers, friend-makers, and out-of-the-box-thinkers. These little creatures are our future. Let’s watch them in awe as they grow and change and become and lead.

Let’s watch them grow.

Let’s watch them go.

And don’t let the “stuff” ruin this amazing, beautiful ride – for any of y’all.

“Train up a child in the way he should go,

[a]And when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV)

We are all works in progress.

And that’s ok. Because if we are works in progress that means we are working on progressing. We are trying.

The thing is, we have to align our minds and our hearts with God and His word. If we don’t, how could we ever know what to work on? How could we ever possibly know what we need to do to become who He needs us to be?

It’s gonna be hard, guys. Everyday we have to seek, reach, study, and control our human flesh. That’s ok. When we start becoming who God is asking us to be – confidence comes. Joy comes. Peace comes.

The work is worth it.

“Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 3:18

Today’s verse of the day:

“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?” Psalm 27:1

Stronghold – a place that has been fortified so as to protect it against attack.

Y’all, I had something else written for today. I even had the cute little picture made up already.

However.

This verse. This verse is a solid foundation for us to stand upon when we are literally shaking from the inside out.

Fear is real, and fear is strong. I battled fear for years, and I’m not immune to it now. But, the closer I draw to God the more He takes over my mind and heart. The closer I draw to God, the more I am filled with His truths – not the world’s truths.

The world’s truths aren’t truths at all. The world’s truths are straight up lies designed to make us feel weak, diminished, crazy, inferior, and in a constant state of fearfulness.

If you’re battling fear today, start filling your mind and soul with God’s truths. Post verses all over your house. Memorize them. Repeat them. Believe them. Cling to God.

Let me tell y’all what I see a lot of.

Shame.

Within myself and within others. Shame that holds us captive. Shame that locks us down and locks us up. Shame that embeds itself deep down in the core of who we think we are.

We’re not good enough.

We’re not smart enough.

We’re not funny enough.

We’re not tough enough.

We’re just not enough.

Guess what – that’s true. We are not enough. We never will be. But we have a God living inside of us that is more than enough.

We have a God living inside of us that is strong when we are so very weak. He is smart. He is kind. He is compassionate. He is tough. He is sympathetic. He is honest. He is loyal. He is selfless. He is slow to anger. He is a leader. He is a friend.

He is everything I’m not, and He is living in my heart.

He is.

Let Him be enough today.

“But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV)

Sometimes we are faced with situations where we don’t know what to do. We may not know what to say or even what to think.

I’ve learned the hard way that in those times I just need to be still. If I can turn on praise and worship music and just be, just close my eyes and sit, it’s easier for me to hear God’s voice.

It has to be an intentional decision though. I have to tune out everything else. My thoughts, the urge to grab my phone, the TV, and even the people around me. It’s not easy, but God needs our attention. We have to focus on Him before we can fully focus on anything else.

This world is good at throwing distractions our way in all shapes and sizes. This world doesn’t want our focus on Jesus. But my God, my God is bigger than this world.

Next time you’re in a daunting situation and you don’t know what to do – just get still. Ask God to shift your focus.

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13

A few weeks ago I was cleaning up my phone’s notepad. This is where I write and store all of my daily devotionals.

Guys, it was a hot mess.

I seriously clean it up once every two months. Apparently that’s not enough, and it’s becoming evident to me that it’s something I need to work on more. I shouldn’t allow it to get to this state of absolute chaos.

The whole mess got me thinking about my relationship with God.

We’ve got to faithfully work on our relationship with God. We have to pray, get in the Word, and worship.

Every. Single. Day.

These things shouldn’t merely be “tasks” on a checklist – they should be the true desires of our hearts. They should be the things that we are dead set on accomplishing everyday no matter what.

We can’t expect everything in our life to run hunky-dory when we are not truly aligning our heart and mind with God every single day. It just doesn’t work that way.

We’ve got to put in the work. If we don’t, our personal life is going to end up as messy as my Notepad.

And trust me, you don’t want any part of that.

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Ephesians 6:18

People mess up.

They mess up big time.

Thank God for redemption and amazing grace.

Here’s the thing about my Jesus – He’s all about forgiveness. He’s all about a clean slate. He wants you to come to Him, start fresh, and then extend the same hand of grace to others that He has extended to you.

Don’t forget about that part.

If we want the church doors to be open, we better open up our hearts first – because nobody can walk through a locked door.

“But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.” Ephesians 4:7 (NIV)

I like to write. Not speak. Because when I’m writing I can go back and edit. It’s safer. Grammatically and emotionally.

But let me tell y’all something – this morning I’m fired up about Jesus, and if someone gave me a mic I would go off.

I would go off about how Jesus loves everyone.

About forgiveness.

About the underdog.

About religion and skin color and poverty.

I would go off about how I was a big fat sinner – and still am – but Jesus washed it all away. I would go off about how Jesus loves me [and you] in spite of our shady past.

I would go off about how He is rooting for me.

And He is rooting for you.

And for the person you don’t like.

And for the person that sinned differently.

And for the person that’s a different skin color. A different religion.

The atheist.

Jesus doesn’t care who you are or who you were.

He just loves you.

Excuse me while I go off.

And pray.

And worship.

And tell my story.

Excuse me.

Dear God, humble me. Remind me. Forgive me. If judgmental thoughts creep in – take me down a notch or two or three. I have a past, but my future is brighter because of you. And the same goes for every person I come into contact with. Remind me. Amen.

Refining.

It’s happening every single day, and you best believe that it’s going to burn.

Sometimes God has to hold us in the middle of the fire to purge the impurities from within us. And sometimes when we are stubborn, when we are refusing to let go of the dross within our heart and soul, He has to hold us there a little bit longer.

Just remember, when He is holding us in the fire – He is doing just that – He is holding us. And He isn’t going to let us go.

Guys, the fire has a purpose. The fire is making us pure. When the impurities within us have melted away and we’ve been purified and cleansed of the world, God will look into the fire, stare straight into our eyes, and see His reflection.

What an incredibly beautiful process.

I want to look like Jesus – even if it means sitting in the fire.

“For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver.” Psalm 66:10 (NIV)