Drops of Sunshine - Daily Bread

I grew up being told that prayer goes where I can't. Likewise, God's sight is far better than my own. This is why we need to rely on God's direction for all things. Man can deceive one another, but we can't deceive God. In times of uncertainty, ask God to show you the intent. But don't be surprised by what is revealed.

It requires big and bold faith to be confident about the things we don't see. I like to think of it like the Sun. We may not see it all the time (with our eyes), but we always see evidence that it is there. We may even feel the warmth of it during the day, even if it's hidden behind clouds. This is the encouragement and hope that we need to cling to. God is always there!  

It can be such a challenge to hold onto faith when it seems like everything is topsy turvy. Compounded by seeing those living without morals appearing to prosper in some phenomenal ways. Those are the moments when we need to remind and encourage ourselves. Our faith is in God. He is a better father than we can ever imagine and will not fail to keep his word.

One day when I was leaving a memorial service, I followed my GPS to get back on the highway. I'd never been in that location before and needed ALL the help. Although the area was unfamiliar to me, I observed enough to know when I passed down a certain road before. It was familiar enough for me to pull over and double check my GPS. Somehow, I entered the wrong information and was traveling the opposite direction! In life, we may occasionally need to take that moment as well. Observe what's happening and acknowledge your inner voice when it's telling you that this situation doesn't look right. We need to step aside and seek out God's direction instead of trying to figure it out on our own.

Have you ever heard someone say their eyes were bigger than their belly? Or perhaps someone that judged a book by it's cover and was sorely disappointed by its contents? That's a sentiment to the fact that we shouldn't make all of our decisions based on what we see. Appearances can truly be deceiving. If we find ourselves swayed in one direction more than another, pause and take a moment to search out the full truth. That means that we may need to delay responding and spend a little time seeking out God's direction before coming to a decision.

Hearing from God stops seeming impossible once we learn what his voice sounds like. That happens when we are intentionally shifting our ears to hear from him. Through prayer, we can have the genuine dialog that God desires for us to have with him. When we do so, we can hold ourselves in readiness for his movement because he will not fail as long as we pray his desire for us.  

For those of us that grew up in church, we have to be careful not to fall into the trap of repeating words we've heard over the years and not having any understanding. The best way to gain it, is to seek Jesus for ourselves. We will not find a better teacher than the Holy Ghost. If we lack understanding, all we need to do is ask God to grant it. Then, we need to listen for his response.

 Our ears are not on the side of our head for decoration. They have a purpose. Similarly, our spiritual heart should be on the same job as we regularly listen to understand God's direction. Make a habit of receiving full instructions before acting or responding. You don't want to have missed key information.

For some reason, it's still shocking when the ones who seem to be in the better position to be receptive to the word of God reject it. That can be a hard thing when it's our loved ones. It can be hard to shake the dust from our feet when we want them to "get it". Don't attempt to force feed those that don't want God's word. Plant the seed and keep moving. Let God do the rest.

We have an amazing gift in being able to communicate with God in a more direct way than they were able to in the bible days. Just think, God wants to hear from you. He is deeply concerned about us. That should encourage us to truly cast those cares his way and to be more intentional about our prayer time.

When I have too many options, I struggle with indecision. One place we don't want to is with our faith. We either choose God or we don't. There is no middle of the road option. That black and white choice may seem daunting in other areas of life, yet, it is essential for our spirit.

 Our trust in something or someone may swing left or right depending on our experience over time. Does this person keep their word? Does that thing hurt me every single time? We begin to learn from those experiences and they inform our future choice. Rather than attempt to build trust with the unreliable, we should instead lay it all on the table with God and truly rely in Him.

I once heard someone say that our souls must be awfully important if God and Satan are at war over them. That's something to think about. More so, if my life is so vital that God would gift the life of his only begotten son, and that only begotten son, Jesus, would willingly lay it down, then this is an invaluable gift I can't and should not want to refuse. 

Growing up, I was always told that lies snowball. One turns into two. Two turns into two thousand. You have to keep lying to cover up the fact that your very statement wasn't the truth. It's much easier to simply be honest. There is no need to deceive others (and yourself!) with a story when you are just telling it like it is.

I think that people sometimes forget or stop caring that the choices we make each day can have a lasting impact. Not just on us, but those around us as well. Rather put all our eggs in the basket of what we see, our goal each day should be to trust God even more than we did the day before. Even for what our eyes tell us is impossible.

When I think about newness, my mind often drifts to that fresh from the shower or bath feeling. That squeaky clean feeling heightens our awareness to the dirt. Moreover, not many people make a practice of cleansing themselves and stepping into dirty clothes. So when we think about the cleansing that God does for our soul, we should be more conscious of the habits that causes us to step back into dirty clothes.

Doctors are able to look at our bloodwork and identify if something is lacking in our diet. What we make a habit of feeding ourselves will eventually reveal itself. Positively or negatively. The same can be said for our spiritual diet. It matters what you are consuming.

Sometimes we get so consumed with pleasing others with the perception of outward beauty. Our clothes have to be right. Our hair too. We have to look like a million bucks even if getting one is challenging in itself. Some folks are so consumed by those thoughts that their inward man (the heart) begins to suffer. We have to make a conscious and daily effort not to sacrifice our eternal home to please residents of this temporary one.

It can be difficult to focus on our eternal reward when what we are dealing with in the here and now sometimes clouds our vision. That's why reminders are important. Think of it the same way we do with setting weight loss goals if we want to fit into a specific outfit for a special occasion. We know that the choices we make along the way will either have a positive impact or a negative consequence in achieving our goal. Either way, it's on our mind often. Thoughts on where we spend eternity should be the same.

There is no peace like God's peace. If you are struggling with the weight of your worries and frustrations, why not truly release those things into God's care? In doing so, you can enjoy the rest and the peace he provides. The certainty that you are well cared for.

Laundry is my pastime. I love it! Over the years, though, I’ve had more than one encounter with something being too dark and staining the lighter clothing. A true frustration! However, it regularly reminds me that dark and light weren’t made to exist together. Our choice has to be one or the other. We can’t straddle the fence.  

During the winter, I sometimes get used to the absence of sunlight streaming through my windows. When Spring rolls around and the light begins to stream through, I can’t help but be more aware of dust and pet hair than I can say I was in the absence of the light. Once I see it, I can’t unsee it. That’s our reality as those that are walking in the light. Once understanding is granted, we can’t pretend we don’t know.