Spirits Can Be Restored

By Susan Dollyhigh –

An empty old Georgian style house with magnificent columns in front sits on my street. Passing by this old house, I think how beautiful it must have been when it was first built and in times past. Neglected for many years, the white paint is fading and peeling. The house has even been vandalized inside and out. Having been empty for so long, it’s hard to know how much damage has actually been done. How much would it cost to restore this old house? I wondered. Can it even be saved?

How I wish someone would move in and fix up that old place! I know it has the potential to be so beautiful. That dilapidated old structure is a lot like many of us. We come into this world so beautifully created by our Maker. Then someone we trust hurts us; emotionally, physically or both. We may shut down emotionally because it hurts too much to feel. We may not care about our appearance. Beautiful spirits broken and sometimes even destroyed. After our “spiritual house” sits empty for so long, others may start to wonder if we can ever be restored. What will it take to restore us? How much will it cost? Can we even be saved?

The answer to this question is simply, “yes.” If we allow Jesus into our hearts, He can heal the scars caused by abuse and repair the broken spirit. And, unlike that old house on my street that would probably cost so much to restore, the cost of Jesus’ restoration is free. And Jesus’ work is always beautiful; after all, He is the Master Carpenter.

PRAYER: Father, thank You for being the Lord who heals us. Help us to feel Your healing touch today.

“You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5 NIV).

Leaving a Legacy of Yourself to Yourself

By Jarrod Spencer –

Legacy is defined as “something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past.” As a parent, I am conscience of the choices I make with and in front of my children will affect them long-term. I am creating a legacy for how they will operate (act, prioritize, associate, etc.). For example, how I treat their mother, how I walk the Christian walk, how I treat others, or how I raise them.

I think that when we go day to day, as parents, we may forget that compromising on some areas in life may have some detrimental outcomes to our children’s future. But think about how some of the same areas of compromise can have detrimental outcomes to our own future. That reminds me of this quote from Foster C. McClellan, “Create the kind of self you will be happy to live with all your life.”

If you’ve ever played Jenga you know that it is inevitable that the tower will fall. You build and build, but sometimes things happen that causes the tower to fall and you start the game over. Each day is a building process, even adding to others’ lives. Some days we may “tear down” others with a choice we made. Then, other days we are building back up. Hopefully, there is more building than tearing down!

As you are building on your own life, you should look to create a legacy, within you, so that the future will be a good one.

I am not talking just about morals, treating others, the Christian walk, but also our physical health is important. Other choices we make now will reflect on ourselves in the future. One nutrition fact I heard of late, that it takes about 60 minutes of walking to expend a 12 oz. can of soda. So, you can either increase your exercise for the day or decide to cut out that extra and drink water for one meal. That really put it into perspective for me, both from a personal and parenting perspective.

What will the “you” look like in 5, 10, or 30 years? Will you be happy to live with yourself at that time in your life?

PRAYER: Father, thank You for my children. May I always be conscience of the choices I make affecting me, my family, and others.

“Do not deceive yourselves; no one makes a fool of God. A man will reap exactly what he plants” Galatians 6:7 (NIV).

A Benefit of Failure

By Jarrod Spencer –

Failure is a part of life. No one is going to have a life (from birth to death) without some areas of failure. Also, there will be repeated failures. Not all failures are going to represent “giving up.” However, they may facilitate the idea of giving up.

It can be frustrating as a parent when you know your child is capable of achieving something and they are not seeing it yet. They are failing and want to give up. You see the bigger picture, know their abilities, and try to help them to make it to the next mountain peak, rather than be sullen in the valley.

One of the few benefits of failing is to learn from it and have a new tool to be able to help you through life. Thinking on that brings me to this quote from Samuel Becket, “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”

As I mentioned, it can be difficult for a parent to be able to cause a child to go forth with something that they know the child can accomplish. With that said, don’t you think that God, as our Heavenly Father, may look at us sometimes and think “You can do this” while we are saying “I just want to quit.”

We are like that more often than we think. Our challenge is to try to look past the obstacle and see the opportunities. So even if we do fail, we fail better!

What have you had success in regarding a “do over” and what have you learned in the process? Remember, even if you fail, you fail better.

PRAYER: Father, I am thankful that though I fail, I am a new creation in You. I am thankful that You allowed Your Son to die for my sins. I am thankful that I have the opportunity to have my sins forgiven when, by faith, I am baptized, being immersed, into water. I am thankful that even when I make a mess of things later, the blood of Jesus continually cleanses me from those wrongs. Thank You!

“And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38 ESV).

Chosen

By Cheri Cowell –

I often heard my mother-in-law recall the tragic day they lost all they owned in a house fire. It happened right after Christmas and the children had just received new bikes. Of all the things in the house, they chose to try to save the bikes but were unable to do so. Over the years, however, it was not the bikes she missed, it was the little things. Photos were at the top of the list of things she wished they had saved. Though these things were forever lost, it was her family she cherished the most.

Recently, after watching news coverage of people returning to find what nature left behind after fires, floods, and tornados, I was reminded how blessed I am. Yes, I am blessed to be in a home surrounded by the things I cherish, but more importantly, I am blessed because of my relationships. I am blessed by my family and many wonderful friends. And even more than all of that, I am blessed because regardless what disaster may strike, I have been chosen, and so have you.

What are our spiritual blessings?

Eternal life, freedom in Christ, forgiveness, unconditional love, and the right to be called sons and daughters of God and a brother or sister of Christ, are a few. We didn’t receive these blessings because we live in the right neighborhood, were born into the right family, or follow the rules of faith. We received them because in God’s grace, He chose us. He chose us to walk blameless regardless of how much we deserve to be blamed; and to be holy, even as He is holy–not because we are, but because He is.

How blessed we are no matter what disaster we may encounter.

PRAYER: Thank You, God for Your richest of blessings, including my life in Christ. Thank You for choosing me and help me remember my spiritual blessings when at times it seems all earthly blessings are burning, washing, or blowing away.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight” (Ephesians 1:3-4 NIV).

Comparison or Celebration

By Rosemary Flaaten –

Two dogs sat beside each other. The older, wiser canine’s paw rested comfortingly on the head of the younger, who looked up with sad and despondent puppy eyes. With feeling and care, the older dog said, “You’re not fat. You’re just a little Husky!”

This Facebook message made me laugh out loud because its truth resounds with my self-effacing thoughts. I spend way too much time comparing myself to the people around me. If I compare myself to the business woman who sports a designer suit and travels in business class I end up on the short end of the stick feeling inferior which quickly moves into envy. Or if I find someone to whom I feel better than, I start to judge them, often pushing them down further in order to feel a greater sense of superiority. Either way, I am swept up in comparison.

Both envy and judgement are sin.

Do you give any mental air time to comparison?

God keeps bringing me back to these verses of confession: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24NIV). Inviting God to reveal every time I compare myself to others has proven to be incredibly enlightening. I had no idea how much time and space in my thoughts were given to comparison. No wonder I struggle with envy and judgement. This offensive way in me runs rampant.

So how do we allow God to lead us in the way everlasting? Earlier in Psalm 139, the writer offered worship to His maker by saying,”I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14 NIV). Offering thanks to God for who He made you to be, where He has placed you and the opportunities He has given will shift your perspective from comparison to gratitude. Celebrating God’s creative genius in making you just as you are takes the sting out of His creativity displayed in others. We are all unique; all wonderfully made and all deeply loved. Just as we are.

May we take to heart the consolation that we are all created to be “just a little Husky.”

PRAYER: Lord, show me what it means to be content and full of celebration for Your creation, most significantly – me!

“The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out. But I, God, search the heart and examine the mind. I get to the heart of the human. I get to the root of things.
I treat them as they really are, not as they pretend to be” (Jeremiah 17:9-10 The Message).

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