Devotions
Sing a Song – 2 Chronicles 20:21, Psalm 32:7
On Monday, I awoke to a worship song stuck in my head. I’d heard it at church on Sunday and then again on the radio coming home. So, I made lunch while humming it. I cleaned the house, got the kids’ stuff ready for school, swept the driveway, all while continuing to let it roll around in my mind. I even went to bed singing it. And [...]
Laugh A Little – Psalm 126:2
I awoke this morning to the sounds of laughter reverberating down the stairwell just above my bedroom door. My three children were sitting in pajamas at the top of the steps. They’d tied blankets as capes around their necks and were giggling nonsensically about their superhero adventures, imaginative play at its finest. I listened to them carry on as warm, soft daylight began to filter through the [...]
Just Pray – Matthew 6:8, Romans 8:26
In hard times, have you ever struggled with knowing just how to pray? I certainly have. I thought I needed the ‘right’ words for God to hear me. A prayer with eloquent sounding phrases and perfectly articulated expressions would better warrant His answering or at least solicit His comfort and reassurance when I was hurting. When I tried, though, I couldn’t make my prayers sound eloquent. In [...]
For the Nobodys – Psalm 139:14
“I’m Nobody! Who are you? / Are you – Nobody – too?” When I was a sophomore in college, I recited these lines of poetry with gusto to an auditorium full of middle school students. I didn’t comprehend fully then what Emily Dickinson meant about that inner battle we all face between feeling like a ‘nobody’ while secretly wishing to be a ‘somebody.’ All I knew was [...]
Lucky Penny – Psalm 90:4
I sat behind the steering wheel, just listening to my children in the back seat deep in conversation. Their discussion revolved around a “lucky” penny they’d found. It’d been haphazardly discarded next to the cart return area in the grocery store parking lot. My resourceful son, of course, picked it up. One man’s trash, a little boy’s treasure, I suppose. “Sister, look at this penny.” I heard [...]
Give and Take – John 19:28
When you step foot into Mother Theresa’s chapel of the Missionaries of Charity, you’ll find no pews to sit in. No chairs or kneelers. The walls don’t have stained-glass windows. The ceilings don’t have fancy florescent lighting either. You probably won’t even see a pulpit. What will catch your eye is a simple crucifix with two words next to it in bold black letters stating— “I THIRST.” [...]
A Little Soul-Care – Isaiah 26:3
The day was cold and dreary, so I decided to distract myself by driving down to the local mall for an hour to do a little window shopping. As I walked along the brightly-lit halls, every store seemed adorned with the same message. Buy ‘this,’ and you’ll take care of yourself best. Wear ‘that,’ and you’ll get the pampering you deserve. Self-care was everywhere. Self-help on full [...]
Hidden for a Purpose – Exodus 33:11
Have you ever felt like you were hidden in someone’s shadow? Like all the work you do, all the ways you give and serve go unseen or get credited to someone else? In the book of Exodus, Joshua must have felt this way at times. In this season of his life, he was simply Moses’ assistant. Moses led the people of Israel through the deserts of [...]
What Might Have Been – Proverbs 16:9, Romans 8:28
What might have been. Those four words haunt me from time to time. Maybe they do you too. What if I’d stayed in that teaching job? What if I’d stood up for myself in that moment? What if I’d pursued that opportunity instead of letting it pass me by? What if this pandemic hadn’t come? Would life be better now? Would I be happier, more fulfilled? No [...]
Make It Personal – Hebrews 4:12
On the bookshelf in my office sits a small, spiral-bound flip calendar given to me as a gift for Christmas last year. Its thin paper pages number 365, and on each page a scripture passage is quoted—one verse for each day of the year. What’s unique about this calendar isn’t its coloring or calligraphed font. It’s not the quality of the paper either. The calendar, in fact, [...]
You, are Enough – 2 Corinthians 12:9
“You are enough.” The metal sign reads as it hangs by a burlap rope in a tucked back nook of my kitchen. I found it in the clearance isle at Hobby Lobby and thought it would inspire me, motivate me, keep me going on the days when I felt low and it was all too much. The design, after all, matched my style, so I bought it [...]
A Better Kind of List – Proverbs 3:6
“Nailed it!” I said, as I watched my New Year’s resolutions go bad faster than that fancy pot roast I made for dinner last week. “Nailed it!” I said, as my goals go undone quicker than the laces on my daughter's shoes. "Nailed it!" I said, as my plans so neatly typed and hung on the bathroom mirror get splashed with toothpaste water. Again. “Eat more salads." [...]
Grow in Grace – 2 Peter 3:18, Philippians 3:14
If you ever have the opportunity to visit my house and climb the tall staircase that leads to a corridor where three modest doors swing open, you’ll probably catch a glimpse of pencil lines. They’re scrawled across each bedroom door jamb. They appear as horizontal tally marks inching their way up the wood like notches on an old leather belt. Next to each pencil line, a [...]
Silence Speaking – Psalm 51:7
Snowflakes fall on the half-frozen pond across the way. They whirl in quiet splendor. They twirl and spin like tiny dancers performing a secret waltz known only by the orange glow of the streetlamp above. I step outside into the night and open my mouth to catch one. I stop and listen like a child, but no sound comes. Not even the rustle of sedge grass [...]
Not Alone – John 1:14
I sat in the crowded gymnasium eagerly awaiting the start of my daughter’s fourth-grade holiday program. She had a speaking part as well as a piano duet with her music teacher, so she was a bundle of nerves, to say the least. As the curtain opened, I could see her eyes scan the room. She was smiling and looking for me but couldn’t see me. The more [...]
‘Tis the Season – Genesis 2:2, Mark 1:35
‘Tis the season. I’ve heard that phrase said a lot these past few weeks. And it hasn’t been in reference to twinkling lights or pumpkin spice lattes. It hasn’t been because of Christmas decorating, shopping, or singing “fa-la-la-la” either. No, it’s been said with furrowed brow and tired eyes—‘tis the season. With weary arms and slumping shoulders—‘tis the season. It’s been voiced in resignation, spoken with sighs [...]
A Little Thanks-Receiving – Galatians 6:7
“Oh, thank you!” I insisted, as my friend dropped off a surprise Starbucks latte on my doorstep. She wanted to express her gratitude for our friendship, to provide a small token of appreciation in the form of caffeinated sugary delight. But I struggled to receive it. I repeated “thank you” and “thank you” over and over until it reached the point of embarrassment. What’s wrong with me? [...]
Eternity – Ecclesiastes 3:11
I watched out the window as a bitter wind blew the last of the leaves off my favorite crabapple trees. They tumbled away in sad auburn splendor. They crinkled and crunched down the street like a forced applause from hands wanting more, from a solitary audience disappointed by the show’s abrupt untimely end. This season has been like that for me. Like a wild rush that expired [...]
Different Perspective – Luke 17:13, 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Have you ever wondered how two people can experience the exact same circumstances and yet walk away feeling very different things? Yet it happens. Ten men were healed of leprosy as Jesus walked along on His way to Jerusalem. Ten men encountered Jesus, called out to Him in a loud voice together asking, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us” (Luke 17:13). And He did. He healed them [...]
Real Life – Hebrews 4:15-16
Have you ever wished life were a Hallmark movie? You know the kind where conflict gets eclipsed by perfectly styled hair and sorrow quickly fades by the knowledge that everything will work out just fine in the end? It’s so predictable, so controllable. And, to be honest, I’d like a little more of that in my life. But real life isn’t a Hallmark movie. It’s hectic and [...]
Against All Odds – Philippians 4:12-13
Tall they stand on the side of the busy BA-51 Expressway. A patch of glorious, defiant sunflowers. Trucks zoom by. Eighteen wheelers rumble. Even railroad cars chug not two feet away. Yet against all odds and against the blustery fall weather, these flowers manage to flourish. They point their petals upward to the sun and shine, putting a smile on my face every time I see them. [...]
Vuja De – Luke 21:3
I sat down at the breakfast table, oversized mug of coffee in my hands. Déjà vu, I said out loud to the piles of laundry, the meal making, the messes I swear I cleaned just yesterday. Today was a new day, yet it felt old. It was a new morning, but it felt inconsequential, insignificant somehow. Does any of this matter? Am I really making a difference? [...]
Better Together – Proverbs 18:24
Wild mushrooms grow all over my neighborhood this time of year, and nearly always they appear in circles, sometimes big, sometimes small. Even though this phenomenon has ties to ancient European folklore, when I see it, I only think of one thing. Life is better lived together. That’s what these mushrooms teach me. Life is better when we intentionally connect, when we circle up in relationship with [...]
Shall Not Want – Psalm 23:1-3
In darkness, I sit on the floor of my sick son’s bedroom watching over him. I watch for signs of slumber. For quiet breathing, inhale and exhale. For no more squirming, indications of stillness and rest. I adjust the trash can (the “spit up” bucket) on the floor next to me just in case. I feel my son’s forehead for the hundredth time and place his favorite [...]
