Remembering God’s Goodness

“The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.” – Psalm 145:9

Shannon was enjoying her second year of college when she found a lump in her breast. She mentioned it to her mom who advised her to make an appointment with her doctor. “It’s probably nothing. Breast cancer doesn’t run in our family but get it checked just to be sure.” Her mom said.

So, Shannon followed up and had the lump biopsied. Then a few days later, the news came. The cells were cancerous and Shannon would need surgery.

Since her cancer wasn’t very advanced, her doctor chose to do a lumpectomy to minimize healing time and pain. But Shannon still had to go through radiation to ensure the cancer cells were destroyed.

A woman Shannon’s mom had worked with went through a similar experience and checked in with her regularly. She advised Shannon to do therapeutic activities like journaling and adult coloring.

Shannon started writing, turning her journal into a prayer journal. She started keeping a list of all the ways God had blessed her. 

“Before then, I hadn’t spent a lot of time thinking about God but after my surgery, I realized how good and trustworthy God is. I kept coming back to that truth in the weeks following my treatment.”

Now, Shannon keeps that journal in a special place. “When things aren’t going so well, I pull out that list of God’s kindnesses toward me and it soothes my soul. I know God cares about what I’m facing.”

God, help me to remember Your kindness and compassion toward me even when my circumstances seem dark. You are always good and You are faithful. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

Change of Plans

“In their hearts, humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” – Proverbs 16:9

When Katie Davis Majors graduated high school, she planned to study nursing and go into the medical field. But an autumn mission trip later that same year changed her goals in a big way.

Katie fell in love both with Uganda and the orphans she met while there. She returned to the States to start her degree but found herself drawn back to Africa within a few months.

While she was there, Katie founded Amazina Ministries, an organization focused on educating and providing for the needs of the poor in Uganda. When a local house collapsed, Katie took in a young girl orphaned in the accident.

Katie continued to adopt orphans who were in need of a warm home and a caring mother. By the time she was 23, Katie was providing for 13 kids who called her “mama”.

She even went on to write a book about her unconventional family titled Kisses from Katie and followed it up with Daring to Hope. Both books explore the themes of faith, loss, and redemption.

Katie thought she’d already chosen her path in life. But God led her to change her plans and embrace a different life than she’d imagined.

Although it can be hard and scary when God directs you to a different path, don’t be afraid to follow Him. He knows the way and He’ll never lead you wrong.

God, I confess: sometimes when life deviates from what I think it should be, it scares me. But I choose to trust You. You know exactly what You’re doing and I trust Your plans for my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

Pray On-the-Go

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Liam longed to deepen his relationship with God and he asked a friend for suggestions. His friend shared that the best way to grow into God was to spend more time in prayer.

So, Liam decided to dedicate five minutes of his day to pray. This worked for a few days but Liam didn’t have a system to track his prayer requests or a way to remember who he wanted to pray for.

He wanted a way to organize his prayers and as a busy college student and part-time pizza deliverer, he needed a mobile solution. That’s when he heard about Echo Prayer Manager. It’s an app that helps users develop vibrant prayer lives.

With it, you can set reminders to pray over certain situations, share those prayers with friends, and track how you’ve seen God respond. Echo is free and easy to use. You can download it on both iPhone and Android devices.

If Echo doesn’t work for some reason, there are many other prayer apps that can help you develop a regular quiet time. What’s important isn’t which app you use – it’s that you grow closer to God by spending time talking with Him daily.

God, I want a more intimate relationship with You. Show me how to pray, draw me closer to Your heart. You’re all I really want. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

Loving His Community

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.” – 1 Corinthians 13:4

Tommy Wynkoop is an entrepreneur and the owner of Fox’s Pizza Den in Pennsylvania. He lives in a small town where winter can be long and unrelenting.

Three years ago, a snowstorm blew through the town that left many residents trapped in their homes. Tommy’s employees showed up to work on time with their usual cheerful attitudes.

When Tommy saw his employees were able and willing to work, he took to Facebook. He quickly updated his business page to tell residents that they could call or reach out to Fox’s Pizza Den if they needed medications or other errands run.

He explained no purchase was necessary, that he simply wanted to help his community. He did this because he knew his small town had many elderly residents and he worried they would become stranded or hurt in the storm.

Some people view hardship as an opportunity to profit. But Tommy took the opposite approach. Instead of using the storm to gain, he used it as an opportunity to give. That’s the very definition of love.

What situation in your life could you use as a chance to give back and bless others? How can you show love and grace to the community around you?

God, help me to be a giver. When others are takers, I want to keep on giving. Show me some tangible ways I can be a blessing to my community. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

Under the Stars

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” – Psalm 19:1

Sophie was a surprise baby for her parents who were in their late forties. Her dad passed away shortly after she was born. So her beloved uncle stepped in to help raise her.

“He did almost everything with me.” Sophie says with a laugh, “Growing up, I sometimes felt like he was more my dad than my uncle. But he’s always loved me so fiercely.”

Sophie’s favorite memories with her uncle include camping in the woods. In her family, it was tradition for each father to take his children camping for a couple of weeks in the summer.

Sophie’s uncle took her when she was eight and she loved the adventure. “I remember how quiet it was out there. We’d stare at the sky all lit up with stars and my uncle would tell the funniest stories about what he and my dad had done together growing up.”

The experience was probably what led Sophie to become a professor of astronomy. “My uncle told me once that God knows every star by name and I think that’s why studying the universe became my passion.”

God’s creation is continually proclaiming His work. You can see this evident in blooming flowers, changing leaves, and even the snow that God sends to blanket the world.

God, You created the world around me with such wisdom and skill! Thank you for the gift of nature. Like all of Creation, let me be continually proclaiming Your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

 

Tracing Your Family Tree

“Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord…” – Psalm 102:18

Lydia found a box of pictures while she was cleaning her parents’ attic one year. Although both of her parents had passed away just a few weeks before, seeing the images made Lydia smile.

So, she decided to create a scrapbook of her family history. When she wasn’t sure who someone in a photo was, she would scan it and send it to her great aunt.

Photo by photo, Lydia was able to create a story of her family. Who they’d been, who they’d married, what they’d done with their lives. She compiled everything she could get her hands on.

“I just wanted my kids to feel their history. To know who they came from and the decisions their relatives made. It’s important to me that they can trace God’s goodness through all the generations of our family line.” Lydia explains.

Creating scrapbooks and organizing mementos can be hard. It can stir up old memories that comfort and ones that cause pain, too.

But if you don’t have a perfect family, take heart: Jesus also came from a line of people that weren’t perfect. In His family history, there’s a liar (Jacob), a murderer (King David), and a prostitute (Rahab). But despite their sins and their mistakes, Jesus is proof that God is always faithful.

God, when I’m frustrated and overwhelmed with family, remind me Jesus didn’t come from perfect people. Help me to show kindness and grace to my family. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

A Firm Foundation

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” – Matthew 7:24

Katie had been happily married for almost two decades when her husband served her with divorce papers. It happened out of the blue for Katie who hadn’t seen any signs that her husband was unhappy in their marriage.

“I always thought we had a good relationship with strong communication.” Katie shook her head sadly. “But he set up an account on a dating website and met someone else.”

Overnight, Katie’s world changed. She went from being a middle-class woman, staying home to raise her children to be a single mom working two jobs to keep the lights on. “The only thing that got me through those next few years was my faith.”

Life can shift at a moment’s notice. Maybe like Katie, your spouse decided to walk out on you and your kids. Maybe you were diagnosed with a devastating disease or suddenly became the caretaker of a family member.

Whatever your situation is, make Jesus your firm foundation. Lean into Him and rely on His strength to carry you through this season of pain and uncertainty. Know that just as a mother tenderly bandages her toddler’s scraped knee, God is tenderly wrapping your aching heart and whispering words of comfort over you.

God, when life hurts, help me to turn to You. Be my strong foundation, the refuge where I can continually return. Wrap me in Your arms and hold onto me, I pray. In Jesus’ name, Amen.