My Way for a Day

Some days I find myself bemoaning my to-do list, wishing I could shred it into a thousand pieces and watch it fall into the trash like fairy dust. Fairy dust that gives me the right to do as I please for one day. To have things my way. To have my husband and children serve me. To have the house to myself. To be left alone. Because sometimes being a wife and a mom is just plain exhausting.

Artwork Copyright Karla Dornacher

Alas, this is not the life I have chosen. Nor will it ever be. When I face those days, I must turn to the following verses:

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.

Psalm 51:10-12

Lord, remove my will and replace it with Yours. May I love my husband and children the way that You do; may I see them with Your eyes. May I love them with Your heart.

Renew my strength to endure, Lord. Give me a fresh breath of life. Blow Your Spirit deep into my own. May I stand firm in my confession of Your goodness and mercy. Let me not grow weary in doing good.

Lord, draw me near to You. Hold me in Your embrace. Hide me under the shadow of Your mighty wing. Don't allow me to stray from Your path. Help me to hear Your still small voice amidst the winds, the fires, and the earthquakes of life.

Restore the joy of Your salvation. Let me never forget the moment I came to know my First Love. Let Your Word jump off the page at me just as it did in that first moment of purity in my life as a new woman. Blot out the world in my life and purify my heart. Bring Your refreshing. Uphold me in the generosity of Your Love. Fill my heart and mind with the joy of knowing You.

Tell me, dear reader, what words you would use to pray this verse in your life. How do you handle those days when you wish  you could have it all your way and not have to do anything for another, out of desire or desperation?

Please Note: For the next few months, as I post these devotion-type encouragements on Mondays, I will be featuring artwork and photographs and such that I've discovered around the web. I pray you find these inspiring, as well. I will link to the website of the artist/photographer/etc. underneath the photo. Watch below the posts for more information, such as where to purchase the designs if you wish. For example:

Today's artwork is by Karla Dornacher. She has a shop over at Etsy, where she sells copies of this print. While visiting, check out her other designs. They're so precious!
 



 

Easter Devotion Five: Woe Is Me

Photo Courtesy of SSPivak

None of us enjoy grieving. Losing a loved one draws out emotions we prefer to keep at bay. We don't care to celebrate death. Instead, we mourn. We don our sackcloth and shed our tears.

It's in our human nature to wish our loved ones remained in their physical form with us rather than pass on into eternity. And frankly, it's quite selfish of us to desire they stay here full of pain and agony. Especially if we know they have accepted Jesus as their Savior and could spend eternity in heaven, free of pain, suffering and tears.

Just as the disciples gathered after the crucifixion of Jesus, we gather together to say goodbye at the funeral home.

Just as the disciples did after Jesus' death, we mourn and weep.

"Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene...
 She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept.
 And then they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe." ~ Mark 16:9-11

The disciples forgot what Jesus had told them before He endured the cross. They forgot that He promised them this was not the end. They forgot He promised them He would rebuild the temple. They forgot He told them He'd send them a Helper.

They suffered in their pain, rather than rejoicing in the abundance of life.

Jesus reminds us in John 16 that the pain and sorrow of labor is but a fleeting thing. The joy of new life replaces the anguish, and the anguish is quickly forgotten. (See verse 21.)

"Therefore now you have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you." - John 16:22 

God promises us that our sorrows will be turned into joy. A joy which no one can ever remove.

As a mother of four, some mornings feel like joy suckers woke up in the place of my children. The bickering and antagonizing begins with the opening of eye lids. It's not the way I'd choose to start my day. I could quickly lose my God-given joy.

But instead, I turn to Jesus. I pray. I read the Word. I fill myself with God's thoughts and ways before the break of dawn. I remember the promises of life He provides for me. 

"You will show me the path of life;
 In Your presence is fullness of joy;
 At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."
 - Psalm 16:11

When I remember this, I refuse to allow another's attitude to steal the joy from my heart and my day. I don't have to. God promises it belongs to me. 

How do we receive this everlasting joy? Jesus tells us in John 16:24 it's as simple as asking:

"Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."

When we seek the Father's will for our lives, when we ask these things in Jesus' name, our joy will be made full. God will provide what we need to fulfill His purposes for our lives. And when we walk in that, we find our hearts flooded with His presence and the joy that comes from an abundant life and fulfillment.

Lord, help us to put off a spirit of sorrow and replace it with Your abundance of life. Help us to find joy and to celebrate life, rather than wallow in our tears and sackcloth. Help us to believe in Your Truth, receiving the blessings You've promised us in this life. We ask that Your will be done in our lives, in Jesus' name. Amen.