Psalm 40:8

I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart.” 

I realized something this morning. My future self is perfect. She prays every single morning before anyone awakes, she sends thoughtful emails, she always remembers a friend's birthday, she's always kind and caring towards her husband and children. The present me, not so much. I do not have everything together, I forget birthdays, miss milestones and most mornings I would rather sleep a few extra minutes than wake up in prayer. I often get caught up on Facebook or in playing Sudoku on my phone that I miss what's happening right next to me. Hours pass me by that I can never have back. The power of God's grace is something I desperately need daily. I repent of my shortcomings of the day and He is merciful in forgiving me. However, he placed something critical on my heart this week, I need to be intentional with my relationship with Him and with others. It got me thinking, what does being intentional look like?

Speaking to God My time with God is often spent by me rushing through a few devotionals and some scripture so one of my daily tasks will be checked off. Our God is relational though. He longs to hear my needs and speak life over all the areas that are slowly withering away. When I shut God out, I am missing out on not only His love and His amazing peace, but also His wisdom. So, what does this realistically look like? It is me pouring my worries and my struggles out to my Papa. I prefer a journal at times and at others, I find quiet prayer time to be better. I've also used the notes section in my bible app. The most important part is the intentional connection with our wonderful God. 

Hearing from God When you have spent intentional time talking to God, it is equally important to keep your spirit open to hearing from God. He will answer you, but typically I have found His answers to come in gentle whispers that I can miss if I'm not proactive in listening. The majority of the answers I've personally received have come from reading the Bible. Pouring over the book that God wrote Himself can never be a bad thing. His riches and His love and His promises are all encompassed in that one book! I personally am doing a plan that has me read through the bible in a year where I read 2 chapters of the Old Testament, half a chapter of the New Testament and then, one chapter of Psalms a day. But, I've also done ones where I just read a Psalm or Proverb a day or a chapter a day from the New Testament. However you decide to go through the bible, I promise you will not be disappointed in the results. Anyway, I could go on about the Bible all day. Back to hearing from God. I've also heard Him answer a question on my heart through a song, through a friend, even through a post on Facebook. Open your heart to our Mighty Counselor and He will pour wisdom into your soul.

Loving Others This is an area I really struggle with. Have you ever gone to lunch with someone and they keep checking their phone? I've been that person. God is laying on my heart that I need to be intentional with being present around others. The smart phone is an amazing device but it is a major time stealer. So, what can we do? First off, if you are in another human being's presence, whether it be a child or an elder, put the phone down and only check it if it's a priority. Make sure to make eye contact with the person you're speaking with and truly engage with what they're saying. Be intentional with not only your words but also with your listening ears. If your child wants to play Chutes and Ladders for the hundredth time today, do it because those are the memories he is going to take with him for life. If your husband is complaining about the guy at work again, stop and ask questions about why it bothers him. Lastly, if a friend has taken the time out of their day to have lunch with you, put the phone away. Listen and engage.

So, the future me doesn't exist. Only the broken me that continuously fails at all of this intentional stuff. So, what do you say we all lay all of our brokenness at His feet and start asking for wisdom and for guidance?

I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart.” 

Lord,

I thank you for every person who reads this post. Today, I ask that each of us can lean on Your grace and ask that You give us the strength to be intentional every day. I ask You to show us how to be a mighty warrior in this world. I pray that You will remove the lie from the enemy saying that we need more "me" time. We need more God time, more time focusing on Your love for us, and more time pouring Your love into others. Lord, give us the tools we need to be intentional in the circumstances You've given us. Help us to remember how relational You are. Most of all, I pray that each person reading this will feel completely compelled to seek You in a new and powerful way.

In Jesus name,

Amen

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