Devoted. That’s how I would describe Ruth. After losing her father in law and her husband, Ruth found herself in a pretty destitute situation. Naomi knew they were facing hard times, so she released Ruth to go back to her own home and family – a land, that in a time of famine, had been given food and drink. Ruth would have been so much more comfortable there; however, she clung to Naomi’s side.
 
The thing about Ruth is that when times got scary she didn’t turn back. She chose to stay in a foreign land with Naomi. They were not sure if they would eat. They were not sure of their safety. Some would call this reckless abandonment. I call it a total faith in God, and that’s not reckless. At all. 
If you keep reading you will eventually see that Ruth’s 100 percent commitment to following God’s plan played a huge role in Biblical history. Staying led her to Boaz who became her husband. She then became the mother of Obed. Obed became the father of Jesse, and Jesse became the father of King David. Keep on going down that line of genealogy and you will end up at a man named Jesus. Yeah, how awesome is that! 

You may not understand why you are going through what you’re going through. You probably don’t know how God is going to use this mess for His glory; however, the Bible shows us time and time again where God uses sticky situations to further His Kingdom. You just have to trust the bigger plan, and you may have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. 

“But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.” – Ruth 1:16 

It’s Monday. A new day. A new week. A new opportunity to step out for God and serve Him in love. I’m excited about this week, and I hope you are, too. 

I’m praying for all my sweet friends that this week will find you hopeful and in good spirits. I’m praying that you will feel God’s love wrapping you up in a hug. I’m praying that you will see God’s hand in the little things this week. I pray that no matter what Monday or Tuesday or Wednesday throws at you, that you will find your happy each day. 

This week let’s choose to rejoice. Let’s choose joy. 
“This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.” -Psalm 118:24

 

People are not always going to think the same way that we do. We know this. We were raised differently. We have grown up in different communities, in different churches, even in different generations. 

Jesus has called us to be humble. He has called us to be merciful. He has called us to love. Sometimes, for lack of a more eloquent word, that means we just need to hush. 

Love should trump our political and religious beliefs. Love should trump color and gender and economic status. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t stand for something – I’m saying to stand for love and humanity first. After all, that’s exactly what Jesus did in His short time spent on earth. Don’t be so dead set in the way you think “things” should be that you become unapproachable.

Essentially, this will blind you to the needs of others, and it will blind them to your heart. It will build a barrier so strong between y’all that you will never be able to show them God’s love. You are basically putting a muzzle on yourself, and no matter what words you speak they will never be heard.

It’s not our job to change people’s hearts. That would be God. It’s our job to live in such a way that people will wonder what we have that they don’t. Then a door will be opened to share the love and hope that has transformed every fiber within us. Be humble. Be kind. Put earthly differences to the side and just love others. Just love. 

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” – Micah 6:8 

God has blessed us with some incredible treasures here on Earth. I am so thankful for every gift He has given me. However, I have to be extremely careful not to make these gifts a kingdom that I worship instead of God. That includes my spouse and my children. I know that stings, but it’s a fact. We can add to the list:

Our job

Our talents 

Our hobbies

Exercise

Money

All these things are good as long as they don’t become more important than God. I’ve had this conversation with my friends several times- the devil is sneaky. He is sly. He can use these wonderful blessings to take our focus off God and His kingdom. We can become so consumed with these “good” things that we push God to the back burner, and that’s not good. At all. 

If we are indeed focused on God, then He will take care of all the other details. He will help us be the wife, mom, teacher, sister, daughter, and friend that we need to be – all while pointing the people that we love toward Heaven. We just need to ask ourselves – what kingdom are we serving today? Ours or His? 

“In the times of those kings, the God of Heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.” – Daniel 2:44

Pray more. 

Seek Him more. 

Worship more. 

Lean on Him more. 

Wait on Him more. 

The more you cultivate this relationship – the deeper the roots will become. Then when life does decide to bombard you with winds of hurricane proportions, you will remain grounded. 

You may be shaken – you may end up weathered – but you will not be moved. 

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” – James 4:8

Without a doubt we are our worst critic. We see the bad, the ugly, and the flaws that we think can’t be fixed. Not only do we see these things in ourself, we tend to magnify them to exorbitant proportions. 

We need to remember that we are a work in progress. Instead of me trying to “fix” me, my prayer is for God to show me what He needs me to work on. That should be my real focus; however, we all know that the devil would rather us be self absorbed with non-existent shortcomings and imperfections. 

Remember, we are beautifully flawed for a reason. God uses our blemishes to transform us into a beautiful testimony that only He could bring to fruition. 

“Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” – Psalm 139:24

Y’all, I’ve been broken lately. 

I look around and see pain. I see cancer. I see devastation. Sunday morning as I sat drinking my coffee and feeling defeated, God kinda got in my business. He gently pointed out that I have been so focused on the bad that I haven’t been able to see the good. 

It’s easy to get caught up and focus only on situations that we need God to fix – but don’t forget to take time to thank God for your blessings. Don’t forget to give him the praise He deserves. 
It’s ok to be broken, but don’t let your burdens nullify your blessings. Life gets tough, but God is still on the throne – and He is a good, good God. 
My dear friend Cherie had a great idea. She is writing down her blessings daily. Here are mine:

1. A blue-eyed little girl that is beyond witty and constantly keeping me on my toes. 

2. A thirteen year old boy who is seriously the sweetest human ever created. 

3. A husband that is a man of integrity. Leading my family day in and day out. 

4. My sisters. There is no greater friendship. 

5. 3 parents that are always there for me. 

6. A stinky, fat bulldog that makes me mad and glad all within one second. 

Guys, God is good. All the time. Don’t forget to acknowledge that. 

If you feel led to do so, please share your blessings in the comments below. I would love to read them, smile about them, and thank God with you for them. 

Without God you will never be complete. You will be in a continuous cycle of reaching and grasping for – fill in the blank with your vice. 

You can keep striving. You can keep obtaining, but it will never be enough. New cars, new degrees, a new status. You can crawl your way to what you think is the top – but without God as your number one you are merely a hamster on the wheel of life. You will be forever crawling in an endless circle – getting nowhere. 

Let’s choose to be complete today. Complete in God. Be so full of God that you are in fact always on top – because He will never let you fall down. 

“May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together – spirit, soul, and body – and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:23

Fear. 

It’s brutal, man

Shear panic can take over your thoughts in the blink of an eye. One minute you’re breathing normally and the next you are gasping for air. It can literally grab you by the throat and choke the life out of you. 

With fear comes the lies. You can’t think clearly because you are in panic mode, so the lies become reality. Every awful scenario that could happen bounces back and forth in your brain like a ping pong ball. 

Fear is real, and it happens to all of us. The only Being more powerful, the only Being with the authority to cast fear out, is God. He can calm your breathing, clear your mind, and put your feet back on solid ground. When you find yourself in the midst of fear call out God’s name. 

Call out His name over –

And over.

And over. 

Until His name becomes your heartbeat. 

Yah-Weh.

Yah-Weh.

Yah-Weh.

“When I said, ‘My foot is slipping,’ your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.”
‭‭[Psalm‬ ‭94:18-19‬]

Y’all, people are hurting. 

Harvey has left a dismal fog hovering over Southeast Texas like nothing I’ve ever seen. Harvey is still here, and I believe he will be sticking around for a while. Then there’s other things. 
Broken hearts. 

Broken dreams. 

Broken promises.
 
Let’s just pray. Let’s agree to pray for one another. Really pray. The kind of prayer my daddy taught me how to do. Uninterrupted, intentional, unceasing -cry out to God down on your knees- prayer. 

Let’s pray, y’all.
 
“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Matthew.” 6:6