Our DNA: The Fingerprint Of God

By Peter Lundell

People talk casually about their DNA and how it determines who they are. So I wondered, Is that something through which I can connect with God?

Under super magnification the DNA molecule looks like a spiraling ladder, commonly called a “double helix.” DNA is made up of four chemical bases linked like ladder rungs along the spiraling helix.

DNA contains the genetic instructions—twisted, compacted, and packaged into X-shaped chromosomes—that direct every nucleus of living cells. They might be human, animal, plant, even virus (though viruses act differently—they’re always bad boys). Humans have twenty-three pairs of chromosomes (including those pesky Y chromosomes responsible for all the men in the world).

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From Trash To Treasure

By Cheri Cowell

I know I’m my mother’s daughter because I have one secret habit that comes directly from her. This is indeed a dirty little secret that my husband wishes I didn’t have. I can’t help myself, but as I drive by homes on garbage day, I survey the trash. I’ve found chairs, lamps, bookshelves, silk trees, and even a perfectly good fruit tree. My husband was horrified the first time I made him stop beside a garbage heap while I jumped out of the car to retrieve something. Over the years, he’s learned to go along with my treasure hunts and has even begun to enjoy our excursions on garbage day.  

There are “hidden treasures” around us every day, people who have been tossed out on the trash heaps of mankind, labeled useless to society. These worthless rags, unseen and forgotten by the rest of the world, are seen by God. He has called us to be His treasure seekers, looking for the lost and reclaiming them for Him. Because of your faithfulness in seeing the trash heap of another as a place of buried treasure, generations after you will come to know Jesus. 

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Lessons From The Raft

By Peter Lundell

Recently I went whitewater rafting with my friend Ronnie. Our group of seven shoved into the river for what became a living parable of life.

Though we wore helmets and lifejackets, nothing kept us in the raft but our feet jammed into the toeholds. In life, we can get all the insurance and security we want, but whether we avoid danger or disaster is partly out of our control in the churning world through which we travel.

At one point the raft went vertical on its side and all but one of us fell out. In life, from beginners to experts, we all get thrown for tizzies. And when we do, it’s critical that we look out for each other and help each other get back in the boat.

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Detour Ahead

By Sharon Autry

Taken from Hold You, Mommy ~ Moments with God for Moms on the Go (Bethany House)

We were clashing about everything: clothes, hairstyles, being upside down more than right side up, rolling eyes and disrespectful remarks to my husband and me. Anything I said made her angry and that made me furious! I was trying to think of something to say to her that would be considered “praise,” but I wasn’t coming up with much! How had we ended up here, on this bumpy detour? I didn’t know. Panic set in as I wondered, “If she’s like this at eight, what will the teen years hold for us?”

A couple of days into this relationship detour, we had dinner with some friends. After we left, their eighteen-year-old son commented to his mom, “There’s just something special about her (my daughter).” The next day my friend called me and passed on the compliment. My mouth dropped open. “What?” I wanted to say. “Are we talking about the same demanding, argumentative kid?” 

The rest of the day, I looked at my daughter differently. I had been missing her. She wasn’t the only one who was on this demanding and disagreeable detour! In fact, I think I had driven her there! (Pun completely intended!) That little bit of praise from a trusted friend changed my perspective. I shared the comment with my daughter and she beamed.

From that experience, I learned some things. First, when I have a good word to pass on to another mom about her kids, I need to share it. Instead of noticing the negative things, praising the good qualities I see in her child might rescue that mom from a deep struggle she is having. 

Second, passing on that compliment gives that kid an “I believe in you,” message that they could be longing for. When you hear those words as a kid, they have a way of sticking for all of your life. 

Finally, I realized that if I’m on that disagreeable road with one of my kids, I need to try to see it as a detour. Detours are time-consuming, confusing, and bumpy, but they eventually wind around and get back to the main road. If you’re there with one of yours, let God guide you so that you can guide your children.

PRAYER: Thank You, Lord, for the reminder that detours have their place, and that sometimes the scenic route is a path of blessing.

“A word spoken in due season, how good it is!” Proverbs 15:23b KJV.

Sharon Autry is the wife and mom of 3. She has co-authored two books with her sister, Mom and Loving It and Hold You, Mommy. For helpful mom resources, visit www.momandlovingit.org

 

Don’t Forget To Back Up!

By Kathy Willis

I’m not good at backing up my van. Okay, I admit it! I try to use my mirrors, and I move my head around to visualize things, but I’m still awkward at maneuvering the car in reverse. There are some parking lots and parking garages that do not allow enough wiggle room, let alone parking room. I’m a novice.

On the other hand, I’ve noticed our new puppy enjoys going in reverse as much as she enjoys moving forward. All that’s missing is the back-up horn blaring a warning: “Watch out for Jazzy, she’s backing up!” She doesn’t even look where she’s going; no mirrors to consult. She just reverses her footsteps in the same locations as when she was moving forward. It works. She’s a pro!

I’m programmed to advance, not retreat; to progress, not regress. Most of my leadership training focused on one point: moving forward. We studied goal setting, becoming a visionary, striving for success—but nothing was ever said about the need to go in reverse every once in a while.

I’ve had a life-journey reversal this week. I can see how it will be good for me. Reversals cause me to reflect and to grow. They cause me to evaluate what is really important in my life. They keep me humble and grounded. Success without trials only produces empty victory, full of shallow egotism. Real growth happens when life says, “Go back. See what you missed. Learn from it.” Backing up allows us to see things in the proper perspective.

Sometimes the object we must go back to is our “first love.” Revelation refers to the church that lost her first love. They were challenged to return; to back up and find where they lost it. When I lose something, I have to retrace my steps, and remember what I was doing when I last had “it.” I’m making a fresh commitment to remember my First Love (Jesus), and to accept reversals as they happen, knowing they will conform me into His image.

Author Quote: “Don’t forget to back up” is not just a motto for your computer, but your life!

“Thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works,” Revelation 2: 4b-5a KJV.

Today’s devotion is by Kathy Carlton Willis, wife to Russ, pastor’s wife to many, author, editor, publicist, and speaker.  Kathy Carlton Willis Communications encompasses her many passions.  Learn more about how she desires to “Shine the Light on Him and His” at: http://kcwcomm.blogspot.com/ or http://www.kathycarltonwillis.com/.

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