Author: daisyrayofsunshine

Seen

One of the kindest acts ever done for me was over 20 years ago when I was still a new soldier in the army. I was in AIT, job training, and had finally earned the opportunity to go off post on the weekends, so I found a church I could attend.

Since it had been months that I had had a home-cooked meal, a lady in the church wanted to invite me to her home for lunch one day. Unfortunately, her husband was an instructor on the post, so I could not go to their home as that would be considered fraternizing. She could have just said, “Oh, well,” and let that be that. It’s the thought that counts, right? She instead decided she was going to bring a plate of food to me at the barracks.

Awesome! The day she was going to bring me a plate of good, home cooking, it started raining and not just a little bit either. It was POURING! Again, this SHOULD have been where she said, “Well, I tried,” but she didn’t. This woman drove and got out of her car in the midst of a rainstorm to make sure this soldier had that meal. Ever heard, “ Come Hell or high water?” She meant it.

It has been almost 23 years since she did that for me, and while I cannot remember her name I have not forgotten her or what she did. I am often reminded of that act of kindness, and I intercede for her every single time. She was faithful in that moment, and I have been faithful ever since to bring her before the Father. Maybe that’s why she was relentless in her efforts to bring a simple meal to a single soldier. Maybe Holy Spirit had her plant that seed so that she could reap the harvest of an intercessor. While I have no idea where she is or what her life has been like, Holy Spirit does. The Bible says we entertain angels unaware…maybe she was mine. Or maybe, in some way, I was hers.

I said all of that to say this: Everything you do for others is seen by all of Heaven. Don’t dismiss the value of your mustard seed. It only takes one match to set the world on fire.

“You cannot see the hands of God

Or feel the grace that flows

From Him through you to those you touch

In ways you’ll never know

You cannot measure worth by human standards

That’s always a lie

Oh, you have to see through heaven’s eyes how…

Your life woven day by day

Is a new design of the glory God displays

On the canvas of creation

Through the poem of history

In the pattern of redemption

Running through the tapestry

Your life in Christ can be

The greatest story ever told”

-The Greatest Story; Avalon

He knows.

In this life we are constantly faced with ever changing seasons. I don’t mean with the weather, but more with the way our lives unfold daily. There are good seasons and bad seasons. Each one can bring or take away people in our lives. We experience emotions from happiness to sadness, loneliness to feeling loved by everyone, and etc. With each one God uses them to mold and make us who He intends us to be. He has a purpose for every season in our lives and He makes everything suitable for its time. That includes the good, the bad, and the ugly. I know with my own personal experience the good sometimes seems fewer and farther between than the bad and the ugly. So why is that? Why are the harder seasons of life the ones that seem to dominate?

One thing we need to remember is that God knows!!!!!

He knows when we are frustrated.

He knows when we feel broken and alone.

He knows when we feel like failures.

He knows our losses and the heartaches they bring.

He knows when our hopes and dreams are gone.

He knows our fears and doubts.

He knows when we are just sick and tired of it all.

HE KNOWS ALL OF IT!!!! And most importantly He cares!!

As I said before, He uses each season to mold and make us who He intends for us to be. He allows each one at the right time. God’s plans for us work best during these times in our lives. In our weakness He is strong.

“My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; He is mine forever.” Psalm 73:26

When we are in a season of goodness I feel it is sometimes easy to forget just how much we depend on God. We can even become prideful and arrogant in our accomplishments and status. We may even have times where we do a tad bit of boasting. So God allows us to experience these harder seasons to keep us humble. To remind us that we can do nothing without Him. These seasons draw us closer to Him and His good and perfect will and in turn it brings Him the glory for others to see. This is what He designed us for!!!

In 2 Corinthians, Paul speaks of being caught up to a paradise and receiving wonderful revelations from God. He then goes on to speak of God allowing a thorn in his flesh. 2 Corinthians 12:7 Paul says, “even though I have received such a wonderful revelation from God, so to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.”

In verses 8 and 9 Paul says, “Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time He (The Lord) said, My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” Paul is then glad to boast instead about his weaknesses, to allow the power of Christ to work through him.

We need to remember that these thorns in our flesh that can cause us suffering are intended to remind us that God is our strength. We can take pleasure when we suffer for Christ knowing that in each weakness He makes us strong. It is never from our own abilities but God’s. When we are delivered from the hard times and we live out our faith by trusting in the Father, others see this. We become examples of our faith and bring glory to the Father above. Then we can boast about our good God who meets us right where we are with His strength and power.

Good enough

I have this bad habit. I convince myself that I have to be good enough for God. I tell myself I need to “fix” myself before I come to God. As if I can wipe my own sins away! God didn’t say fix yourself and then I’ll send my son to die for you. He said come as you are and I’ll cover your debt.

Ephesians 2:8-10 expertly explains it.

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Eph 2:8–10

In these few verses Paul sums up the Christian mission statement. We are to serve God and people not for our salvation but because of it and because we were created to love. We didn’t save ourselves and any notion that we did is pride. We were saved by God’s grace through our faith so that no one can boast in their own doings.

All throughout the Bible there are sinful messed up people doing great things. He didn’t ignore their sin but instead used it to show his power and grace.

So when you feel like you aren’t enough for God know that he doesn’t require you to be because grace is like none other.And before you try to fix yourself go to God.

Lean into Him

“I’m wide awake

drawing close, stirred by grace

and all my heart is Yours.

all fear removed, I breathe You in

I lean into Your love.”

⁃ Sinking Deep, Hillsong Young & Free

Just think about those lyrics – let them sit.

Later in the song it’s says, “love so deep is washing over me.”

Psalms 36:5

“Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the Heavens, Your faithfulness to the clouds.”

Oh how vast is the love God extends to us. How good is He.

Take a moment to sit still and lean into God’s love.

In the hurt, the happy, the tears – sink deep into His mercy.

Whatever you’re dealing with today, lean into God. let His love wash over you.

I encourage you to encourage someone else in this, too.

You’re not alone, let someone know that today.

Dear God, how good is your love that is extending to us. We thank you Jesus.

I lift up the lonely, and ask for comfort.

Amen.

In the cave

Praise Him in the cave, and He can change things.

Psalm 57:7 “My heart is steadfast, O God my heart is steadfast; I will sing, yes I will sing praises”

Disclaimer: I know y’all think I’m the verse map bully 😳😂, but I know it’s not for everyone. It’s just my Bible study fav 🤷🏼‍♀️

So I have been studying the word steadfast. It’s not exactly a touchy-feely subject, but the Lord worked through my starting point and by the time I finished my whole mood had changed. I did not sit down with that intention.

Won’t God do it!!

In doing the word study it lead me to Psalm 57:7. It spoke to me so much I verse mapped it. In the midst of the verse map I could feel God stepping on my toes. Questions came to mind about the devotions I had been doing. Aren’t they just a series of self help books? How long am I going to dwell on me and my insecurities 😳. Then Pastor came in hot the next week with “insecurities make us selfish”. Geez Louise.

Don’t get me wrong, we need to do studies, see the planks in our eyes and work on our shortcomings. We just can’t live there. At some point we have to get out of our head and get moving.

David was in a cave scared for his life. Sometimes we have those same situations. Right in the middle of his pity party he caught himself. He stopped and said

           “My heart is steadfast”

Mike drop 🎤!  That’s what I need to do when facing any giant or insecurity. Before letting my pity party run away with my brain I need to whoa up and declare to my heart that it Will. Be. Steadfast.

David’s pity party turned in to a praise fest after that declaration. (And so did mine)

           Moral of the story:

“Set your heart on Jesus, He is our help!”

Why is hope?

“Well, you know we have the hope that we will see him again” said the 1 millionth person after Connor died.

I have heard this phrase most of my life. I’ve even said it to a lot of people myself. I can tell you from experience that you never realize what hope really is until it’s all you have.

But what exactly is this “hope” we speak of? In today’s world, the word hope is often used to represent wishful thinking. Hoping for the best. Sort of like a child with their eyes closed, blowing out birthday candles, wishing they get that present they’ve been wanting. It is often hinted at with uncertainty.

But you see hope is not vain nor wishful thinking. Hope is not a feeling. Hope is not an emotion. It is not “fingers crossed” way of thinking.

When I lost Connor last year, all hope was lost. I knew he was in heaven, no doubt about it. But what was the point in going on? It made no sense to continue without my son. Life wasn’t worth it to me. But it was in those moments of grief and despair when the sweet, sweet presence of the Lord made true hope known to me.

Hope is a state of mind. It is a confident expectation that God will meet all our needs, both present and future. Our hope is based on who God is alone. Not on the circumstances, not what the world says, not what science says, it is based on God alone.

“This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.” Hebrews 6:19

Hope sustains through the challenges of life. I know because I’ve been there. And more than likely, so have you. My hope is based upon the promises of God. I trust that God alone will sustain me.

Back to the child blowing out their birthday candles. Their tiny little hearts have their hope set on the “perfect” gift. So, what happens when it’s not what they hoped for. Disappointment. There is no disappointment with God. When our hope is in Him, it doesn’t matter about the outcome. It is the confident, expectant trust that God will fulfill His promises to us, whatever it looks like.

Hope has taught me to take a different approach to suffering. When grief strikes, I have that sweet reminder that heaven awaits with my sweet Connor first in line! And oh, what a glorious day that will be!

“That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So, we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Hope has taught me to live with intention. The bible tells me that I was created for good works.

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10

God created each of us to complete specific assignments based on our individual gifts and talents. He uses our challenges; the good, the bad and the ugly, to do great works.

My prayer is that my journey of finding hope in despair will help you to find true hope in the Lord.

It’s more.

The Gospel is beautiful. It’s not complicated. It’s simple, and ultimately life changing.

I can tell when my prayer life isn’t where it needs to be. I can tell when I haven’t been setting aside time like I should to truly be in the presence of Christ.

It’s more than the prayer before dinner.

It’s more than attending every church service.

It’s more than giving and serving others.

It’s taking up your own cross and following Him.

Every time I want control over a situation, every time I find myself putting my plans before Jesus, He isn’t honored in the outcome. Every time I spend intimate time in the word and prayer, trusting in His plan and knowing he’s in control, life just feels more at peace. Notice how I didn’t say “life just goes smoother” or “life is just better”. I purposely said life just feels more at peace. There is a beauty in coming to know Christ. There is a beauty in trusting in his plans before our own. There is a peace that surpasses all understanding when we take up our cross and follow him. We don’t have all the answers but you find yourself not wanting to because you’re too busy following the one who does.

I feel like I talk about that a lot. Trusting His ways and not my own. Maybe that’s where I fall short most. I want the plan I had on my calendar to go the way I envisioned it. Or maybe that’s just what someone needs to hear. To surrender your own personal agenda. Take up your cross and follow Him.

I love these words in Colossians –

“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.”

Colossians 3:1-4 NLT

I don’t have control. I don’t have control of this afternoon, tomorrow, next week, or anything. But I do trust the one who does. Today I’m choosing to follow Him. Take up my own ways and listen to scripture. To set my sights on the realities of heaven. When I chose to follow Christ 17 years ago I had to remember I died to this worldly life. I was raised to follow him and to share all of His Glory. I want to be obedient. I fell short today. I’ll probably fall short again tomorrow. But He will strengthen me in those areas when I spend that intimate time with Him.

I challenge you to set your minds today not on things of this world but on things that are above. I pray today you join me in taking up your cross and following Him.

Pray for somebody

It’s almost every single day that I receive at least one prayer request from another person whether it be a text from a friend or a Facebook post that I happen to see. There are times I want to immediately comment, “I’ll be praying for you!” or “I will keep you in my prayers!” But did I actually make the time to pray or did I merely have good intentions? What if I stopped what I was doing to pray right in that moment while it was still fresh in my mind? If I am already scrolling or texting in my free time, I can definitely take a pause to talk to Jesus. The important aspect of prayer is that God wants us to trust Him enough to voice our desires and needs to Him. 

 

When someone is vulnerable enough to share a personal struggle, how do you respond? Although intimidating, we have the freedom to pray with that person out loud. The prayer does not have to be extravagant sounding and eloquent; the Lord knows the words written in our hearts regardless of how they come out. Life can hand us heavy burdens, why not hand them over to God right now? 

 

There is so much power in praying with others; it can be an encouragement to both believers and non-believers. More importantly, talking to Jesus strengthens our relationship with Him whether we are alone in a quiet place or surrounded by a group of people. I want to encourage everyone reading this post to drop what you are doing and pray for someone!

 

“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)

Inheritance

Have you ever heard a song and it transports you to another time and place? For me, it’s “Desert Song” by Hillsong with words by Brooke Ligertwood. This song saved my sanity on many occasions when my three babies were all under the age of 4.

I had the words printed and affixed to the fridge door so I could read them as I was scrambling to fix a sippy cup for a fussing toddler.  

I remember singing “I will bring praise” above the inconsolable cries, at my wit’s end.

“All of my life, in every season…I have a reason to worship” when my baby girl didn’t care to sleep and my husband was away at school. I had to work the next morning, and I couldn’t form any other clear thoughts, except to sing out those words.

When I thought my heart was irreversibly broken after losing my sister, and I wasn’t sure I had anything left to give my babies…”refine me Lord through the flame”

Some days, I didn’t think we’d ever all make it out of that time, but I had wise sisters in Christ, who had already been through it, speak life into me and tell me that the seasons pass quickly.

So, sister, let me tell you…seasons do pass quickly. Hold on. 

Anticipating teen

Woman in waiting and/or working

Mother to little ones

Mother to older kiddos 

Or veteran laborer of Christ

Whatever season you’re in, God has plans for you, and they are GOOD. Psalms 16:5-8 reads “Lord, you are my portion and my cup of blessing; you hold my future. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. I will bless the Lord who counsels me  — even at night when my thoughts trouble me. I always let the Lord guide me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”

‭‭

As the youngest of 8 sons, David knew he wouldn’t get much in the way of an earthly inheritance. However, he recognized and claimed that the Lord was his “portion” or enough, and also, that God was his “cup of blessing” or above and beyond. In times of “just enough” or times of blessing, if we put our faith in God, He holds our future. And what does the scripture say about this future? A beautiful inheritance, falling in pleasant places. Not sure what your pleasant place looks like, but I’m imagining lots of coffee, books, and quiet 😉

Even when night comes (figurative or literal), and our thoughts tend to lead us toward negative thinking, He is right there with us, guiding us back to His truth that can’t be shaken by our circumstances. We can trust that our beautiful inheritance through Christ is coming on the other side of that night. Whatever we can imagine about eternal communion with our Savior, I’m certain it is so much more.

Seasons do change quickly, but praise God, He does not. I’m still tired and chasing three active (teen) babies, but when I look back, I am so thankful that God was my portion through it all…just enough to make it through some days and blessings above what I deserved on others. 

You’re gonna make it through this, sister, into a beautiful inheritance with God by your side. “I know I’m filled to be emptied again…this seed I’ve received, I will sow.”

Be different

Stop Acting like the World

(disclaimer: a little harsh 🤷🏼‍♀️, but if I needed it others also might)

1 Corinthians 13:5 (love) does not act unbecomingly, it does not seek its own, it is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered

😔 I can sadly raise my hand and say I do all these “does nots”. Because I allow myself to be provoked I sometimes act unbecomingly, seek my own and unfortunately will probably replay the encounter over and over in my head when I lay down to go to sleep. Anyone else?? Just me?😳

Thanks to our fearless leader Daisy I love verse mapping, and as I was mapping through the love verses this one wrecked me. I started this particular mapping quest because I want to have good soil for the fruit of the Spirit and love seems to be the basis for all the fruit.

This verse is straightforward. There is no hidden meaning. Quit listening to and acting like the world, Tracy. BE DIFFERENT. Get back to the Philippians 4:8 filter, lean hard into James 1:19, stop acting like the darkness. Jesus doesn’t say blend in He says DENY myself, pick up my cross and follow Him. (paraphrase Matthew 16:24).

Galatians 5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.

That’s my prayer. Lord, help me today to walk by the Spirit, to not be provoked, to put others first, to check my attitude and for my desire to be to follow Your perfect example.

If any of you have these same struggles or any struggles take heart. 2 Corinthians 2:9-12 tells us that His grace is sufficient and His power is perfected in these struggles. When we are weak He is our strength.

Keep. Pressing. In.