Struggles to Snuggles

By Donna McCrary –

Snuggle means to “curl up comfortably.” What a warm, fuzzy word. The picture of the little, cuddly teddy bear from the commercials probably popped into your head. When my 7-year-old son asks me to snuggle with him before bed, I know he wants more from me than just a good night hug. He wants me to climb in his twin bed (they are called single for a reason) and curl up under his blanket to get warm. Then we intertwine as many limbs as physically possible. After all the commotion we both freeze. We stop moving and just lie there quiet and still. No movement. If we say anything during this time it is in a soft whisper. It is one of the most precious times I have with my child.

Struggle means to “make strenuous efforts to overcome an adversary or an obstacle or to proceed with great effort.” A struggle often seems too big to overcome. It requires lots of energy, focus and encouragement to get through. When I think about my own struggles through the years, each one seemed to have a point where I felt utter desperation. The Scriptures are full of people with great struggles. Ruth needed a husband. The woman at the well struggled all her life with broken marriages. David struggled with family issues. Martha struggled with busyness. Peter struggled with taking a stand for whom he believed in. Moses struggled with a disability. The struggles were real for them thousands of years ago, and they are real to you and me today.

God gives us struggles to make us snuggle with Him. Your struggle is His way of asking you to curl up comfortably with Him. Don’t just give Him a quick good night hug; curl up with Him and stay a while. Snuggle up close to Him so you will be warmed by His love. Intertwine all your body parts of life with His and then freeze. Be still and listen to His soft whispers of love, comfort, strength, reassurance as you rest in Him. It is one of the most precious times you will spend with your Father.

Without your struggle you would never go to Him to snuggle. Be thankful He cares and loves you enough to want to draw you near to Him through your struggles.

PRAYER: Father, I surrender all my struggles to You today. Help me find time in my busyness to snuggle up close and discover Your comforting strength and reassurance.

“May Your unfailing love be my comfort, according to Your promise to Your servant” (Psalm 119:76 NIV).

Today’s devotion is by Donna McCrary and Sherri Holbert. As Life Coaches, they equip women to discover their life purpose. Learn more about their study DIVAS of the Divine: How to live as a Designer Original in a Knock Off World at: www.walkofpurpose.com.

A Marriage Saved Through Forgiveness

By Bruce Hebel –

Through an “out of the blue” circumstance, I was informed, just a few hours before I was scheduled to speak at a ministry center in North Atlanta, that the ministry leader and her husband were scheduled to finalize their divorce the very next day.  I did not view it as coincidental that I had received that information prior to speaking. After I finished my talk, I asked the receptionist if I could speak with her. She happened to be in the office and came out to meet with me. (It was interesting to hear later that this was her day off and she is rarely in the office on her day off.) It was a nice day, so we took a walk outside and sat on a short wall under the trees in the parking lot. I told her what I had heard and asked the question, “How can I help?”

We chatted for quite some time as she poured out her heart about the pain she was experiencing. As we talked, her husband happened to call. I heard her tell him, “I’m sitting here in the parking lot talking to Pastor Bruce trying to decide whether or not I’m going to divorce you tomorrow. Do you want to talk to him?” I’m thinking quietly, “God you are really good at this. Only you could set this up!”

As I began walking my friend through the protocols of forgiveness, her husband drove up with their son. She left with the boy while her husband and I began to talk. In the course of the conversation he was able to forgive several deep wounds from his past. The transformation in his eyes and in his countenance was remarkable. I was then able to help him see himself the way God sees him and to coach him on how to love his wife even if she chose to go through with the divorce. By this time the wife returned and the husband left for church. To make a long story short, when we finished our conversation, she forgave him, he forgave himself and she made a commitment not to divorce. She was free. They were reconciled. A marriage was saved.

There are situations like my friends’ around us every day. A large majority of these hurting people need help learning how to forgive. We can help them. Will you?

AUTHOR QUOTE: “God has given us the privilege of setting people free by helping them forgive!”

“Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted” (Galatians 6:1 NASB).

Today’s devotional is by Bruce Hebel, President of Regenerating Life Ministries (forgiving forward.com) and Adjunct Professor at Carver Bible College. Bruce is the author of the seminar and soon to be published book Forgiving Forward: Unleashing the Forgiveness Revolution. He is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and, along with his wife Toni, has served in church ministry for over 35 years.

Letting Go to Take Hold

By Rosemary Flaaten –

Letting go is hard for me, especially when it is something very precious to me or has brought significance to my life. Although I’ve heard the saying that from the moment a child is born we are preparing them to leave us, the process of letting go isn’t easy. It seems like only a few sleeps ago that I chose to let go of my firstborn, who was three hours old, so the neonatal nurse could take him to the nursery. Then there was his first day of preschool, feeling like my arms were heavy in their emptiness as I walked alone to the parking lot. The stakes were even higher on his first day of middle school. The realization that this was truly the beginning of the end of my hold on him brought moisture to my eyes and tightness to my gut.

Not too long ago, tears dripped down my cheeks as I commiserated with a mother’s emotions as she described her sense of loss as she pinned her son’s corsage on his wedding tuxedo. She had to let go in order for her son to grasp onto to what lay ahead of him. She realized that no man can be held by both his mother and his wife. It was her job to let go.

This truth permeates our lives. How many times have we tried to take hold of something new without letting go of the old? We must move our belongings and leave an old house in order to move in and fully live out of our new home and neighborhood. We must let go of the emotional ties to our old job and move with conviction and perseverance into our new opportunities. When we ask Christ to be our Lord and Savior, we leave the old life that is ruled by sin and take hold of the grace and love that God offers through His Son. One stage must be left behind in order to move into the next.

The apostle Paul gives his version of this life reality when he says, “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13, 14 NIV).

Has God put before you something new for 2011? Is there something that has brought you pleasure, significance or meaning this past year, last month or even yesterday but you sense that today God is saying He has a new thing. Don’t get stuck in a rut where you continue to do something simply because of tradition or comfort. Be open to change. Be alert to where God is at work and then set about to join Him. To do so you may need to let go of the old so you can take hold of the new. Change is propelled by the movement of the Holy Spirit. Be alert! Be Present!

PRAYER: God, may our hearts be open and receptive to listening and discerning the movement of Your Spirit and then may we have the courage to obediently follow You.

Verse:  “Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand new. It’s bursting out!  Don’t you see it” (Isaiah 43:18,19 MSG).

Today’s Devotional is by Rosemary Flaaten. Her successful book, A Woman and Her Relationships helps women process their outside-of-work relationships, so now she’s delving into these 9-5 relationships in A Woman and Her Workplace. Her Relationships book won The Word Guild Award, which is Canada’s top Christian literary honor. A dynamic speaker—Rosemary challenges women of all professions to view their work as a calling and their workplaces as opportunities to live out Christ’s love. Rosemary lives with her husband and three children in Calgary, Canada.

Because Moms Matter

By Gina Stinson –

Moms matter. For all those days you find yourself wondering if what you do really makes a difference, consider this your personal pat on the back and be assured. It does.

Whether you’re a good mom or a bad mom, what you do counts. The influence we have on the lives God trusts us with on earth is immeasurable. In fact, it’s a little frightening. The words I speak over my children on a daily basis help form their own thoughts about the world, God, their self-worth, their family and more. Let’s face it my parenting skills—good or bad—are going to be mirrored in my kids. Lord help us.

Seriously, Lord help us! In a world that is screaming out to kids about their weight, their athletic ability and their grade point average, I’m suppose to be screaming (in a good way) about the love of God, how much they are valued in God’s eyes, while at the same time instilling a Christian world-view. It’s a daunting task. Somebody’s gotta do it. Someone will.

Good parenting isn’t for the lazy. God’s Word tells me I am to be instilling God-things in my children from sunup to sundown. I have so much to do and so little time. Eighteen to twenty-two years hardly seems like enough time to get it all in. Thankfully God is on my side, helping, guiding, and giving opportunities to guide my children through this life. Christian parents don’t walk alone. With our guidebook, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit, we can make a difference in this generation. Lord help us.

PRAYER:  Father thank You for trusting me to take care of the children You gave me. They are Yours. Use them, guide them, help them, protect them. Help me to do my part to proclaim Your name and to etch Your character on our home.

“Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (Deuteronomy 11:19 NIV).

This devotion was written by Gina Stinson, a minister’s wife and mother of two. Gina writes from a mom’s perspective on life issues, the home, and the church. There’s never a dull moment on her blog, http://journalinggina.blogspot.com , where you can always be sure to catch a word of encouragement or a thought to ponder.

Exchange

By Cheri Cowell –

My grandfather told many stories of his early days as a country preacher. He told of the characters who made up his congregations (and some were real characters), and of the sacrifices he and his family made so he could follow God’s call.

One of my favorite stories was about a wedding he performed for an outlaw family “way back in the woods.” This couple wanted God’s blessing on their union even though they knew the rest of their life was not upstanding. My grandfather agreed because he believed their desire for God’s blessing might be His way of changing this family’s whole life around.

The groom’s brothers picked up my grandpa and took him so far into the woods he said he felt like he was being taken to the other side of the world. After he performed the ceremony they gave him a pig as payment, and then brought him back to the church. He never saw them again.

“Did you feel it was worth it, Granddaddy?” I asked, meaning was the exchange of vows for a pig worth it.

He replied, “My sacrifice was nothing compared to Christ’s.”

PRAYER: Thank You for the exchange You made when I had nothing of value to offer in exchange for the great gift you gave. Help me to follow Your example and to not be so worried about getting a fair deal when working with others, but willing to exchange something of real value with whatever others have to offer.

“For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21 KJV).

Today’s devotion is by Cheri Cowell, who writes and speaks on topics of Christian discipleship. In addition to her books and articles, you can learn about her speaking ministry and sign up to receive her daily devotional www.CheriCowell.com

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