Hugs

My preschooler loves to snuggle. She knows she can come up to me at any time and I will accept her onto my lap. I might be writing at my computer, or washing dishes (in which case, she gets a snuggle from the side. :-)

As I was holding her in church the other day, God reminded me of His love for me and how much He delights to accept me whenever I come to Him.

Believers have perks.

If someone else’s daughter ran up to me, I’d think twice about catching her up for a hug: Would her mother mind? How well do I know her and her family? How comfortable would she be hugging someone else’s mom?

God adopted you. Purposefully. (see Ephesians 1) If you are believer, you have access to the King’s lap. You can turn to God at any time and receive His affection.

“…to the praise of the glory of His grace in which He has made us accepted in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:6)

Whenever I hold my daughter, my heart is moved with love for her. I want to protect her, provide for her, make her comfortable, soothe away all her fears or sadness, or tickle her to make her giggle. I will listen to her troubles and try to help. We talk and share stories or sing together.

God wants us to feel comfortable in His “lap” – prayer. We can come to Him and receive His affection, protection, provision. His heart is moved with love for you. And no matter what you do or have done, YOU are accepted in Jesus by God the Father.

Go ahead! Run into His arms. Receive His love. Get a hug.

Personal Blessings

This morning, I gazed through my home office window and saw something I'd been so hoping to see.

A couple of years ago, we planted scarlet bee balm in our yard. And year after year it comes back, blessing us. Love those deep red flowers on tall stems. It's a highlight of our backyard. Well, I'd heard they attract humming birds, and this morning I saw one!

Some people love spotting butterflies, or other creatures. I have a "thing" for hummingbirds. :-) So, to see one darting around those flowers this morning, drinking nectar and moving on to the next blossom really blessed me.

Think about the ways God has blessed you lately, specific ways. God created you. He enjoys you!

Last night, my husband and I watched the Christian film "The Perfect Stranger," based on a book by author David Gregory. In the movie, the main character is hoping for a date night with her husband at her favorite restaurant. Turns out he can't make it. But Jesus can. He treats her to dinner at her favorite restaurant, just because He loves her and wants to bless her. She has lots of questions and they have a very meaningful conversation. If you haven't seen this movie or read David's novella, I highly recommend you do! (book's title is "Dinner with A Perfect Stranger")

Consider all the ways God has specifically blessed you lately and thank Him for being so personal.

Open to the Little Things

This past weekend my family had hoped to go on a whale tour. The last time we went, the "little" creatures--orcas, especially--were in hiding from all the vessels on the Salish Sea. This year, the boat we would have toured on was being dry docked for repairs. So we settled for the next best thing.

Standing on shore, up on the rocky cliffs, we exchanged binoculars and digital cameras, shivered in the biting wind, and searched for whales. The strait we surveyed is famous for whale sitings. And guess what? There, mixed with the white caps and rolling waves, we saw them!! Shrieking, we each pointed to the activity we witnessed.

What a thrill!

God graced us with the gift of contentment and then blessed our attempts at family fun, despite our original plan evaporating.

Sometimes you have to look closely to see the blessing.

Everything You Need

Are you weary? Jesus is the Great Shepherd who knows what you need and how to meet those needs. Go to Him for rest.

Are you afraid? Jesus is the Prince of Peace. When He speaks peace, He imparts it. Listen.

Are you in need? God is the Provider. Ask.

Are you in danger? God is the Protector. Trust.

Are you in pain? God is the Healer. Seek His face.

Whatever your need, God is the answer. Press in and ask. Trust Him to move. Let your faith be built up as you wait. That's how it works.

He wants to meet your needs. He'll be glorified, but He will also draw you closer in the process.

Whatever's happening in your life--He's all you need.

Freedom

Saturday night, the smoke from hundreds of fireworks around our neighborhood obscured the flag standing tall in a neighbor’s still yard.

Got me thinking about the battle for our country’s independence: the rocket’s red glare, the smoke clearing and the flag representing freedom in the midst of the fighting.

I imagine the flag inspired our soldiers as they fought for freedom.

What do you hang onto as you push through the hard times toward freedom or victory?

I run to the Scriptures. They’ve carried me through some tough times.

The thing about the Word of God is that it is both an anchor as you await victory, as well as the means for attaining victory in your situation. It is your sword and your light as you go. The Word of God inspires, like that flag through the smoky mist.


I’m grateful to the soldiers who fought for freedom (and those who fight today). I’m thankful for this country. And I’m thankful for freedom.

Hope

And may the God of hope fill you
with all joy and peace in believing,
that you may abound in hope,
through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13, MKJV

Do you have hope? Hope in the midst of everyday life, hope that your dreams will come true, hope in your future, or our future as a country? Hope is necessary for joy, for perseverance, for life.

Here is hope’s definition:

~~to cherish a desire with expectation of fulfillment; to expect with desire: Trust.

That says a lot. When the Bible uses the word hope, here’s what it means:

~~Joyful and confident expectation.

Romans speaks of our God as the God of hope.

What that means to me is that He will meet us in the place of expectation. If you have a need, go to God (at the throne of grace) with confidence and express it, ask for His help and expect Him to come through for you. Risk joy. Trust in His goodness and wait on Him. (see Isaiah 40:31)

He is the God of hope. Take your concerns to Him and trust with expectation:

Hope.

(For more: click this link to Bible Gateway and read Luke 11:9-13 in The Message Bible. I have this pinned on my wall.)