Much like if someone were to write me a check for $1,000,000, if I never went to the bank to cash or deposit it, the gift is no good!
What I do with ALL God gives me is up to me! It’s up to me how I steward my time, my energy, my resources. So while I surrender ALL, I also need to accept ALL in return, too!
“Your will and mine be one,” I prayed! I didn’t know what I was praying for exactly, but I knew it’d be good. And yet again, here you are doing exceedingly and abundantly!”
You don’t know the way, but you know the way, because I do! Continue to trust me and let Me lead you, even when, especially when!, you’re unclear or unsure.
Be still and know that I am God!
It begins with be. Be still. Be seen. Be known. Be bright. Be bold. Be Loved. Be loving. BE.
Grief goes where I put it, just like anything else. When I set my water bottle or keys down and can’t find them later, they’re lost. But grief is different. Sometimes it’s exactly where I left it. Other times, I wonder, ‘Where did my grief go?’ and feel like I’ve lost it. So now, I choose where to place my grief.
The very thing that they said they would never do is actually the best thing that could happen to them. Have you ever wondered why it is that the things you said you would never do are the best things that have happened to you?
My heart rate soared, even as I sat still—a stark reminder of how deeply stress lives within us. I survived those past moments, but healing only came when I finally chose to live with intention. From recounting stress to rewriting my story, I’ve learned that true health isn’t just the absence of disease; it’s alignment of mind, body, and spirit.
Fulfillment is on the other side of work. Fulfillment does not come to us. We have to go work to get it. LeBron James wouldn’t be LeBron James if he just talked about playing basketball. He’s LeBron James because he actually plays basketball.
Here I am, in my bed… I saw a tragedy waiting to happen—uneaten tomato chunks and sauce flying everywhere, including on my sheets and comforter. Noooo! Anywho, the blood on my mattress and the impending doom of tomato sauce on my sheets got me thinking, ‘What is it about the color red? Surely there must be a sacred secret lurking about, something to do with the blood of Jesus!’ And then, I explored it. The blood of Jesus was never meant to be easily washed away. It was meant to stay—to cover us, protect us, and remind us of a love so deep that it could not be removed.
I often use these two terms interchangeably, but the truth is, they’re distinctly different, though closely related. I don’t know why now, but I do know that now is the time I needed to quiet and answer this persistent, ongoing search. Exploring them here brings me a sense of clarity. And who doesn’t love that?!
There is a manna you can’t see flowing like and through the Land of Milk and Honey. To enjoy this Manna– to see it, too!– you must live in community. If you kept this gift to yourself, you wouldn’t need Me and My Great Love. If you hoarded this gift, the Manna would go bad, go stale.
