lean and rely

      When things seem so dark that you’re tempted to lose heart, the smallest choice to lean and rely on your God instead is like capturing a beachhead.

“[T]he little decisions you and I make every day are of . . . infinite importance. The smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of.” C. S. Lewis

“Who among you . . . walks in darkness and has no light? Let him . . . (choose to) lean and rely on his God.” Isaiah 50:10 (parenthetical added)

what is true

      Sometimes life is like being caught in the surf, wave after disorienting wave. That’s the hardest and most important time to remember what is true (no matter how untrue it feels when you’re under water).

“Never let cares or tribulations separate you from the fact that God loves you.” Oswald Chambers

“Can anything separate us from the love of Christ?  Can trouble or anguish. . . ?” Romans 8:35

over and over

      When you’re in the habit of crawling around under the weight of worries, getting into the habit of putting them down takes practice.  

“Most people take their burdens to Him, but they bring them away with them again. . . . I leave [mine]. . . . If [a] worry comes back, I take it to Him again; and I do this over and over, until at last I . . . am at perfect rest.” Hannah Whitall Smith

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you and support you and nourish you.” Isaiah 55:22 

outside help

      Yesterday, I saw a man with patient eyes leaning on his walker in the bakery section of the grocery, waiting. He asked me in halting words to get him two apple-filled donuts and one glazed, and then he slowly thanked me and very slowly lifted his hand to take the bag. He probably never forgets that he needs outside help.

Lord, You say that I can do nothing apart from You, which means that I always need outside help. Please don’t let me forget that today. From John 15:5

Self-sufficient: needing no outside help

don't forget

      It is good and healthy to have deep longings, as long as you don’t forget that even the best people and things can never satisfy them.           

“My soul, don’t forget [that the Lord] . . . heals . . . [and] crowns . . . [and] satisfies. . . .” Psalm 103:2-5

“We are created with infinite longings.” Dr. James Houston

blind eyes

      When you see somebody as an interruption or competition or a chore, you miss the treasure of her company.

“We get too caught up with things: having things, doing things. . . . We risk forgetting that the joy and treasure of human beings is to be with other human beings and . . . to reveal to them that they are unique, precious and have beautiful gifts.” Jean Vanier

Lord, heal my blind eyes. From Mark 8:22-25