Mark 8:23-25

He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. (‭Mark‬ ‭8‬:‭23-25‬ NIV)

Last night, as we were getting ready for bed, I smiled at my son. I wasn't sure if he would see me through the tooth paste covered mirror or if he could see through the blurriness I felt in the room. In fact, I barely caught his big smile back to me. Then, I realized I had taken my contacts out and had yet to put my glasses on. My son could see my smile with ease, everything was still crystal clear to him. It was me who changed. A few minutes before, I probably never would have thought twice about him seeing my smile. 

It got me thinking about how I perceive the world around me when I start my day with Jesus and the drastic difference when I don't. When I spend my morning seeped in the Word and in prayer, I can see hurting and lost people around me instead of seeing them as inconvenient or rude. I hear the Holy Spirit speaking life into a situation that would have passed me by. I also can serve my husband and my children with a humble and willing spirit.

However, when I fail to take that time in the morning, I feel lost. I feel like I'm drowning in the world around me. How will I be the wife my husband needs me to be? How will I ever influence my kids more than their peers? How can I get everything done around the house that needs to be done? 

All the while, I'm sure that God is quietly whispering to my heart, "Child, bring this to me. Talk to me about it. Your problems are not quite as big as you are making them to be. I have created you for a purpose. Have faith and dwell in my peace."

This verse reminds me that Jesus can heal my blindness to a broken and hurting world, He can give me peace when everything around me seems to be falling apart, and He won't let me have only a partial healing. When I continue seeking and praying, Jesus will continue to improve my vision. 

He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. (‭Mark‬ ‭8‬:‭23-25‬ NIV)

Lord,

Thank You for every single person reading this right now. I pray that You can open our eyes to the power of Your Word and to prayer. Help us to seek Jesus every morning. I pray the enemy's lies about the busyness of our lives can be diminished. Give us a heart and a passion for you Lord above all else.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Isaiah 26:3

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! (Isaiah 26:3 NLT)

I love this scripture!! It illustrates a craving I have deep within my soul. I want to embody my Savior's perfect peace. I want to trust Him with everything I have and consistently keep my thoughts fixed on Him. How beautifully and wonderfully poetic!

However, if you are anything like me, you fail at this daily, sometimes even hourly. The amazing thing is we are not alone in this. In Romans, Paul says, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." He understands how real our battle truly is.

My personal battle is with pride. It makes my skin crawl to even type that, but it's the truth. I often cannot place my trust in God because in my BC (before Christ) days, I found extreme pleasure in my own accomplishments and by weaving the best picture of myself. I've traveled a little ways in the 7 years since I was chosen to follow Christ, but not nearly as far as I would like. I am a broken woman and I know that today more than ever before. I desperately need the arms of my Savior cradling me. 

My journey definitely needs to primarily be about humility. But what about you? What's your journey about? Do you struggle with the image in the mirror, with serving the people you were called to lead, finding God's calling, an addiction, mourning, fear? Do you know the best thing you can possibly do? Surrender your struggle to the Mighty Counselor. I simply say, "Lord, I surrender my pride to You. Please heal me. Remove the deepest roots of this sin from my heart." Then, I dig deep into His Word, find a verse that correlates with my sin and meditate on it. 

God will heal you. I believe in this with all my heart for you and for me. Most of all, I believe this scripture holds a beautiful promise for us:

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! (Isaiah 26:3 NLT)

Lord, 

Thank you for Your everlasting Word. Without it, we would be forever lost. I pray that each person reading this would rediscover Your promises. I pray we can grow into the unique, beautiful person You made us to be. Give us Your perfect peace. Help us to trust in You and to keep our thoughts fixed on You.

In Jesus name,

Amen