In bible history, we learn about Rachel, one of the wives of Jacob. Her life’s journey of love, loss, and the anguish of infertility is found in Genesis. Rachel’s deep desire for motherhood and eventually her joy at the birth of her sons, Joseph and Benjamin, make her a symbol of maternal love and the unwavering love between a mother and her children. She is a woman whose love and longing helped build the very foundation of

the nation of Israel.

Focus scripture:

This is what the Lord says: “A cry is heard in Ramah- deep anguish and bitter weeping. Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted — for her children are gone.”

Jeremiah 31:15 NLT

In this verse, the prophet Jeremiah is describing the mourning and lamentation of the Israelite people. This verse vividly portrays Rachel in a state of mourning. Her bitter weeping and refusal to be comforted indicate the intense grief of a mother who loves and longs for her children. The exile and separation of the nation of Israel from its homeland and loved ones, as they were carried away into captivity by the Babylonians, resulted in devastating pain. This is a moving description of sorrow and longing for the return and restoration of a people, which is a theme we find throughout Jeremiah and

other prophetic books in the Old Testament.

As I reflected on this portion of scripture, I wondered about the modern day “Rachels” among us. The individuals whose hearts ache for those on a quest for meaning and purpose in a world often filled with heartache, doubt, and confusion. They remember Jesus’ words, “The harvest is plentiful.” Matthew 9:37. They are the individuals who have an unwavering love for the prodigals, the wayward sons and daughters that need

healing and restoration.

Rachels are not deterred by the circumstances they may see others in, as they persistently reach out to help them find their way back home. Today’s Rachels refuse to be comforted and pacified by the attitudes of others who say, “It’s just how things are in today’s world.” or “They are a lost cause.” They don’t lose heart when there are setbacks because they understand they serve a patient Father.

“The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does

not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” 2 Peter 3:9

A commentary stated that during the time of the exile to Babylon, the people’s cries echoed across great distances as they cried out. Lord, help me to be a Rachel, someone that cries out and intercedes for the world You so loved, You sent Your only Son to offer

saving grace that heals and restores your people.

Yesterday in Sunday School, one of our 5th graders had the following prayer request: I pray that we will all be good shepherds.

First of all, yes ma’am 👏🏻. These kiddos. They are so pure. So sweet. They leave me in awe every week.

Second of all, just yes. That should be what we are all diligently praying and seeking.

Jesus was the ultimate good shepherd, and we should all be striving to be like Him. That’s the ultimate goal.

A shepherd is a leader. A protector. A guider. A provider.

How can we be all these things?

Only with Jesus.

Only through Jesus.

Only when we are truly seeking Him.

Only by studying Him.

All day.

Every day.

Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; 1 Peter 5:2

Has there been evidence of a life change since following Christ?

Obedience matters.

Seeking & trusting His desires for your life matter. I pray when you accept Christ as your Lord and Savior, people see a difference. That there is change in your life.

Deuteronomy 6: 3-6 NLT shares with us;

“Listen closely, Israel, and be careful to obey. Then all will go well with you, and you will have many children in the land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you. Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today.”

I feel as Christians we ultimately have the desire to please God. I do believe there are still many good people striving to follow Jesus in the world – those wanting to honor Him and be obedient. Although, it’s not easy, and we fall short often. I myself am bound to fall short daily. I do pray that’s our goal though. With all of our heart, soul, and strength. Committing wholeheartedly.

What does it mean with all of our heart, soul, and strength?

With all.

We have to listen to His voice and be brave enough to keep believing in Him. We have to desire deep within us to obey with our desires and everything we are. Even when it doesn’t make sense in our little human nature mind. Even when it appears to be opposite of what the world is doing. Trust me, He will take care of you and honor your obedience. He will navigate your way and give you boldness through life changes. If we’re honest with our selves, which we always should be since He already knows our honest thoughts…we cannot accomplish and get to all the Lord has for us without obedience. We will miss out. Goodness, and what a miss that would be. What He has on the next page for you is everything more than what you could have wrote for yourself.

Today I pray you choose obedience. That you desire who He is, everything He has been, and all He will continue to be. Do it with all your heart, soul, and strength. Today I pray that I will listen to His voice more, and strive to be obedient to it. Lord have your way in myself, and all of us.

Our debt has been paid, and we shall obey.

I will be the first to admit that Christianity can become mundane. It’s not everyday we see the Transfiguration or watch David’s victory over Goliath. In fact, most days are quite the opposite, filled with dirty dishes and laundry, sports practices, running around the house looking for a shoe or a phone, and hopefully, have some intention of spending time with the Lord.

I used to think the cure for seeing God in the mundane was in having a perfect relationship with Him. (If I were close enough to Him, I could see Him more easily). While this thought is not entirely wrong in principle, it was in my instance.

I thought that having a perfect relationship with God meant having book worthy moments that highlighted God’s providence and my obedience. However, there is a glaring red-flag within that statement. My obedience is not the main role within our relationship, His love is. When perfection-seeking behavior takes the place of God’s love within this relationship, the relationship will break because of our sinful nature. We were not meant to carry God in this relationship, He was meant to carry us.

A few weeks ago, I had a breakdown in the car with one of my closest friends due to the stress of this perfectionistic expectation I had put on myself. I wanted it to be perfect and was burdened by my imperfections and insecurities that caused this desire to be unattainable. After I had vented out my frustration, she looked me dead in the eyes and completely reset how I view my relationship with Christ (funny how iron sharpens iron).

She told me that instead of looking at this relationship as needing to be perfect, I need to look at it as only redemptive. Not perfect and redemptive – just redemptive.

This relationship cannot be anything but redemptive. Seeing God in the mundane does not happen by desiring to be perfect, it happens by laying yourself daily at the feet of Jesus. The more we see His redemption in our lives, the more we see Him in the blessings of having able bodies to play sports, the money to buy clothes, and the ability to have the food that dirties the dishes. Seeing His redemption leads to seeing His glory.

If you are like me, take the unrealistic expectations off of yourself, and let the Redeemer redeem. I encourage you to read Ephesians 1:7-8 and to meditate on its words. Store them up in your heart!

Lastly, give a listen to Monday Morning Faith by SEU Worship.

It might become a new favorite of yours. 🙂

Let’s talk about seeking. What are you seeking today?

Are you seeking a job? Are you seeking friendships? Are you seeking relationships? Are you seeking healing for family? Are you seeking treatment for your body? Are you seeking rest?

Are you seeking Jesus?

When we start to constantly seek God in our everyday lives, in the small moments, the big moments, in those little windows of time where you can finally breathe, we see Him.

The business of life creates chaos in every aspect of life, honestly. It strains relationships, with friends, family, and with God.

If we are so used to seeking Jesus in every moment, if we are so used to going straight to prayer everytime something joyful or upsetting happens, the business isn’t as straining.

Instead of a sad season where you constantly can’t feel God’s presence, you’ll realize that He is there in every single moment. He’s next to you for every smile and every tear. For every laugh and every word you speak.

From personal experience, when I sought the Lord I found that He is constantly trying to show me something.

Right now I’m in the midst of finding out what it is He wants to teach me. I don’t know what He is showing me, but I’m excited to find out because I know that my Savior cherishes His children. I know His promise is good and His love lasts forever.

So today, seek the Lord and His grace.

Psalms 105:4, “ Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His presence continually.”

The 19 year old got baptized this past Sunday.

My 19 year old.

It was a pretty incredible day. Proud is an understatement. 💛

And look at all the young adults standing behind him.

Y’all.

This generation gets a bad rap, and they shouldn’t. These kiddos cried, smiled, clapped, praised, hugged, fist-bumped, and did all the celebrating for their friend on his big day.

These kids showed up.

The emotions they carried were real. The pride for their friend was real. Jesus radiating off of them was real.

I see a generation rising up. I see a generation of young adults that love Jesus. I see a generation that wants to be the good and do all the good that they can.

As for my generation, we need to step up, too. We need to stop complaining about what “they” do wrong and see all that they do right. We need to train them up just like the Bible says to do.

I see them, and I’m excited to watch them grow and go.

They are gonna do big things.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:19-20

I have had a word burning in me since Daisy asked me to write for this month. It was not until today that I could get it down on paper.

The word is labels.

You see we live in a generation that is label happy. We have labeled our children. There are “new gender” labels. We label ourselves. We label others- even our food has labels.

We wear them like badges of honor.

We wear them as sorrow.

We partner with ones that other people have put on us that we refuse to remove.

What are you labeling yourself as and what labels have you slapped on others? Do they align with God’s word and what He says?

You label with past addict – God sees freedom.

You see an adulterer – God sees redeemed.

You see fat and ugly – God sees made in his image.

You label with lonely – God says Bride of Christ.

What lies do you need to replace with a truth today? What test needs to be added to your testimony?

I got a phone call today that my daughter has been in an accident (she was safe Praise God). I had to exchange a few labels. I had to give up discouragement for joy and thanksgiving. I had to hand over worry to become a warrior. I wanted to lay down like a pig in the mess and wallow for a while, but God had a message.

If the labels you are wearing and giving to others are negative and do not speak life then they are not from Christ. Let go of guilt and shame today and know that you are worthy. He calls you beloved.

Get in your prayer closets today friends and ask God what He sees. God is our ultimate label maker. If it’s not from him stop wearing it!

Psalms 139:14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful I know that full well.

Genesis 1:27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created male and female he created them.

Y’all, just look at the repetitiveness of that verse. Take hold of that today. How important and special you are that He made you like Him!

Do you ever feel inadequate, unloved,or alone? Maybe you feel rejected because you were abandoned by someone you really loved like a parent, spouse, or other family member, or even a friend.

Do you feel like you just don’t belong anywhere you go? I think we all may have experienced at least one of these feelings at some point in our lives. Well, let me just say these are lies from the enemy, Satan. He likes to make us feel unimportant. He likes for us to value ourselves on the basis of how people treat us. Satan loves to condemn us of our present and past sins.

He uses people in our lives to make us feel unworthy, to bring us down, and to hurt us with their actions and even their words. The bad thing is that the majority of the time we fall into the trap of believing these things.

We put more focus on that than we do our Heavenly Father and His love for us.

John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

God loves you and God loves me. He loves us when we are unlovable, when we are living in the midst of sin, disobeying His word, and when no one else does. We are His!!!!! He created each and every person in the world. He made each and every one of us unique. His plans are for our differences to complement each other, and to compensate for what one cannot do. God doesn’t want us downtrodden and discouraged, living in fear and worry of the future. He doesn’t want us to view our worth through anyone else’s eyes but His.

Proverbs 18:24 says, “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

This friend is like no other. He is our Savior and Lord and He expects us to walk with our heads held high. He wants us to experience the peace, joy, and love that only He can supply. He removes our sins and cleanses us from all transgression. No one else in this world can do that. Only God can give us exactly what we need and even what we desire. We just have to find our joy and happiness in Him.

Psalm 37:4 states, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

God wants us to learn from these experiences that make us feel so unloved, inadequate, etc. We need to learn to show love and to encourage one another.

Pray about what it is God wants you to do.

God has a job for each and every one of us to fulfill. He has a purpose for every single one of us and for everyone that enters our lives. People aren’t always meant to stay in our lives forever. Don’t focus on who left or who is gone – focus on who is in front of you.

Focus on who you can serve.

Pray about what God wants you to do for someone else. God wants us to help others. There is no joy like being there to help someone in their time of need, taking time out of your schedule to check on someone, or just to be a listening ear.

Matthew 25:40 says, “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”

The most important thing in this world is showing God’s love. When we show God’s love I think we feel the love of God even stronger. We realize we do have a purpose and are not inadequate. We are not abandoned and alone. We are serving a true living almighty God, who sent HIs Son to die on a cross. The worst thing we may deal with is being rejected by some people who don’t see our worth. Jesus was rejected by many people and He still chose to die on the cross to save them and to save us. We reject Jesus at times in the things we choose to do and He still loves us. So remember to live with grace, mercy, and forgiveness and encourage each other. Find what it is God wants you to do and you will find your worth!!

Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

What’s your motive?

Lately the Lord has had me checking the posture of my heart in every area to make sure my motives are pure. The Bible says in Proverbs 16:2 “People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives.”

I always want the Holy Spirit to have access to my heart. Even if I think I have the purest of motives, I want to always submit it to Him because He’s the One that truly examines our hearts.

Jeremiah 17:9 says, ““The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.””

Having any other motive towards others such as, manipulating, being deceitful, etc. is not pleasing to God (Romans 8:8).

Sometimes, we’re actually unaware that our hearts may not be completely pure towards God, ourselves or others. That’s why it is SO important that we invite the Holy Spirit in constantly to examine our hearts. A heart submitted to the Holy Spirit is a healthy heart. We also submit our hearts through scripture.

Hebrews 4:12 says “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”

The Word of God is powerful & if we allow it, it will show us where we operate in flesh & where we operate in Spirit. So what are the right motives? The right motive is when we do things only to please God.

1 Thessalonians says “Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts.”

We want pure motives because we want to love like Jesus.

Proverbs 4:23 says, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”

If we don’t live with pure motives, we walk down a path that is not pleasing to the Father. But when our hearts are pure before Him, we are able to represent Him so well to others & He gets ALL the glory!

Thank you for reading! Be blessed.