Letting Go

Every season has its firsts, but fall has my favorites – the first fire in the fireplace, first hot cider, first frost, turning on the heat in the house and pulling out my favorite sweaters from the storage container.  I wait until I’m sure the weather has turned, that it’s not going to trick me with another few days of leftover summer heat. 

Unpacking winter clothes is no chore for me.  That wool, chenille and snuggly velour promise days to come of seeing my breath on the air, snowy meetings with grandchildren, and decorations of holly and pine.  

Sometimes I’m surprised with some piece of clothing that I picked up in spring on “super sale” so late in the season I never wore it.  It’s fresh and vibrant and makes me feel good when I put it on.  While that’s a delight for me, I keep digging until I come to my old friends.  I have a couple of sweaters that I always go back to.  They gave up their shape seasons ago and they have pulls and fuzzy balls.  I look pretty sloppy and careless when I’m wearing them.  But they’re my old favorites and I have a hard time giving them up.

Isn’t that the way with our old habits and tendencies?  We like to gossip, just can’t help it.  The shopping channels and catalogs lure us in just one more time. Our minds wander back to that person we tend to criticize and we mentally tell them just what we think.

We know what God knows – we cannot do this on our own.  He has said “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you…” (Ezekiel 36:26a)  We need this fresh start, not once or twice, but continually and consistently.  We need to go to God as many times a day as it takes to restore our sinful nature with a clean one.  He’s pleased to help us get rid of the old misshapen, fuzzy inclinations.  But I’m keeping the sweaters.

Psalms 51:10\

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Tasty, Refreshing, and Totally Unsatisfying

I stood at the pump and looked at the sign and got thirsty. I’ve grown accustomed to ignoring advertising that waves, yells, and flashes at me. Yet on this very hot summer day as I was pumping gas, the picture promising “Any drink only 69¢” was very appealing. The glass was tall and filled with ice. There was a strong gush of cola dropping into an already filled glass and splashing over the sides. Even the sign itself had what looked like condensed drops of water on it. I wanted a coke! (I’ll wait while you go to the kitchen.)

I stood there for a minute and thought about Weight Watchers (because at this point I’m considering that only a full-fledged, sugar-loaded, caffeine-packed glassful will do) and I thought about the fact that I would drink it down and still be thirsty. Because when you’re really thirsty only water does the trick. (I’m so pleased that you’re thinking ahead of me.)

And so yes, I considered that our attention is constantly receiving messages from this world that say, “Take what I have to offer. It’s the only thing that can satisfy that want, thirst, hunger.” When the Truth says, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:13-14), all the advertising spin in the world isn’t going to make the other stuff look better.

But let’s take this thing just a step further. Sometimes, I know I need to drink more water, but I really want other sugary substitutes. I have to make myself go for the healthy choice. It works like this – once I start drinking the water, I can’t seem to get enough of it! I thirst for more.

I was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas. (Did you know it is the smallest national park?) It was known for the warm therapeutic waters and “Bath House Row”. And, still, there are several places in town where there are no signs, no advertising. Just a small stone facing surrounding a tap from which pure, spring water continually flows. Cars line up filled with empty, plastic jugs waiting to be filled.

Isn’t it reassuring knowing that the well won’t run dry and we will never have to be thirsty?

John 7:38
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.

Steady in the Heights

My iGoogle pops up every morning with three headline tabs – World News, National News, and the all-important Entertainment News. I also have weather for Manning, South Carolina and Woodbridge, Virginia. At the bottom, fish and turtles swim around waiting for food and a little hamster runs on his wheel when I’m not feeding him.

 

And I have Bible Gateway’s Verse of the Day to assuage any guilt I have about checking on news before having my quiet time with God. I do have to expand the box to see the scripture. Today I was sitting down to do my Bible study and I ran a quick check to see how the world was doing. I noticed the verse was Habakkuk 3:19, which rang a bell with me. I thought I should really just go ahead and look it up in my Bible; but in the time it would take for me to actually find Habakkuk, I could click on the plus sign and have the verse read. So I did.

And I was right – it is a favorite of mine. “The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.” Because who doesn’t want to scale the heights?

So I thought, great idea for a blog! I’ll just google and find out some cool stuff about deer who live on the heights. To begin with, be careful what you google because you can get some pretty gross deer-hunting pictures. And finding deer who actually live on the heights was a challenge! There were plenty of sheep and goats, but the Word said “deer.”

Then I stumbled across the Siberian Musk Deer. Because it eats vegetation, it primarily lives in the forests of Russian Siberia. However, when it is in danger, it runs to rock outcrops.

It’s great to be in the forest and feeling comfortable and nourished, content and safe, isn’t it? But we seem to spend so much of our time on the ledges and rocks!

What a comfort that God clears our path, steadies our feet and makes us safe. How amazing that we feel secure in the heights where it’s thrilling and dangerous at the same time!

Psalms 27:5

For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.

Sometimes a Snake Is Just a Snake

In case you’re curious about this one, where it came from, I just saw a stick out of my peripheral vision. Not to sound overly paranoid, a stick is something you pay attention to if it appears on your patio in the heat of a South Carolina summer. However, it still has not moved and appears to have bark, so I’m safe for now.


It must be a sign! How many times do I say that in a week? Jumping onto the supernatural bandwagon and overanalyzing are two of my worst habits. Perhaps the combination is a good one. I usually read way too much into things that happen; but the overanalyzing brings me back into focus.

If I see two deer on the side of the road (and manage not to hit one of them), I assume it’s God sending me a hug. (Actually, I still believe that is usually the case.) But if I’m on a highway and they’re on a corner, do I really need to question whether that’s a turn God wants me to make, that there’s something waiting for me to do down that road? Probably not.

Steve and I were looking for a house in Virginia. I became convinced that we belonged in a particular house simply because there was a copy of “Pride and Prejudice” lying on an upstairs hall table. Never mind that Steve just didn’t like the house. I loved the book and so it must be our house.

So when I saw a snake on the day Mom died, I knew there was some deep, dark message involved.

In order not to sound at all callous about my mother whom I dearly love, let me preface with some information. She had a wicked sense of humor – dry, to the point, and in your face brutal. I loved it. So when she died on a Halloween morning, I called it her last joke. Her saying to me, “Just try to forget me now!” We were so close and yet, my grieving for her didn’t start for a few weeks because I was filled with peace that passes all understanding. I was excited for what she was now experiencing and who she was now spending time with.

After my aunt called and told me, I made my phone calls while walking around my deck and my stone patio. As I walked across the flagstone, I looked down to see a very small snake wiggling his way across the gray.

I’ve told the story since, because it sounds so dramatic. My mom was gone; I’ve been quite open about feeling the need to pick up and carry on her ministry. And there was a snake! In cold weather, almost-November northern Virginia! This must mean something completely ominous.

In truth, the little fella just wandered out from some warm leaves and under the edge of my hoe. (I would feel a little sorry for him…but he was a snake.) Sometimes, my day is brutal because I’m starting a new ministry and Satan is throwing up roadblocks to try to stop it. Sometimes, my day is bad because I’m cranky.

How do I tell the difference? How do I know the source of all these good and bad “signs?” If I’m staying close to God, reading His Word, communicating with Him deeply, honestly and often, I usually know when the Holy Spirit is trying to get my attention.

The other stuff? The bad? I look inside. If it’s my attitude, I concentrate on changing it. If it seems okay in my heart, then it really doesn’t matter the source. I just keep my attention where it belongs and enjoy the deer sightings.

Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.

Tunnel Vision

When my kids were little and watching TV, in order to get their attention I would go over and take their face in my hands and say, “Look at me in my eyes.” It sounds pretty mean, now that I say it, but I was very gentle and they understood. Because they had tunnel vision. They were so fixed on whatever they were watching, my words fell on deaf ears unless I could divert their attention.


I’ve been reading in Mark this morning about Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:22-24, 35-42). Jesus was with His disciples and a crowd of people. Jairus was a synagogue ruler, someone who would have been responsible for the physical management of the synagogue building and the worship services; and, therefore, someone who also would have been respected in the community. He came to Jesus, fell at His feet, and told Him that his little daughter was dying. Would He come and heal her?

Jesus began to walk with him, but was distracted by someone else who needed healing. By the time He had taken care of the situation, people came from Jairus’ house and told him that it was now too late, that his daughter was dead. From everything Jairus had seen and heard, his was a hopeless situation and he might as well have just gone on home in sorrow.

But Jesus had overheard. And he turned to Jairus and did the equivalent of taking Jairus’ face in His hands and saying, “Pay attention!” He said, “Do not be afraid; only believe” (verse 36).

These stories are great and all, but it’s easy to read them and say, “that’s nice” and just keep rolling. Truth is, I don’t know that I would have had the faith! Would I just have hung my head and said, “it’s too late”?

We all have areas in our lives where we have tunnel vision, where we just can’t see the thing turning out well. We go to church and hear it; we read it in God’s Word. "He’s in control and He has a plan." But when we rely only on what we can see and hear - our small slice of the picture - our faith skitters away.

The complete, trusting faith of a child requires that we listen to Jesus when He says, “Look at Me in My eyes. Do not be afraid; only believe.” Then, eyes on Him and not our circumstances, we can go our way in peace and confidence that He truly is in control and has a plan.

Proverbs 3:5,6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

I Know You Do

Nature’s playing her little joke on me. Only hope of the possibility of snow gets me through the long months of February and March. And yet, it’s clear skies that result in colder temps. Low pressure systems bring in clouds, but warmer temperatures. So here I sit shivering in my little reading corner, squinting at sun and wishing for gray.

February prompts us to think of cruises, small tender plants squatting under the cold ground, and Valentine’s Day, the day dedicated to love. Growing into a loving relationship with someone, we wait nervously until one or the other of us says the words that promise commitment, a future together. “I love you.” We yearn to hear and to repeat them.

As the relationship grows, it often becomes more about proving that love. When we had been married for several years, on that special day my poor husband might as well have worn a battle helmet to work. He would need it walking in the door Valentine’s night. I was all but waiting at the door like the woman in the comic strip who would wait with arms crossed, rolling pin in one hand, for her husband to come in late.

My husband is a sweetheart. He didn’t come home late and certainly not on Valentine’s Day. And he never failed to bring me a card and flowers or candy. But for some sad reason, I felt he needed to prove his love to me by bringing me a wildly extravagant gift.

As we got older, we realized that there’s nothing as important as the love itself. We say “I love you” often and we mean it each time. It doesn’t just hold the promise of a committed future now. It also holds the hope, the memories of years together, and the peace of a firm foundation.

And we’ve learned something even more amazing. A greater gift than the response of “I love you, too” is the reply, “I know you do”. That one phrase says you respect me, you are good to me, and your eyes tell me how you feel.

To love God enough to want to please Him is a wonderful way to live. But even more rewarding is the deep and secure knowledge of how very much He loves us. When He says, “I love you”, we can say, “I know you do.”

I John 4:10
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Dry Season

Not sure why is doesn’t happen in the summer with the air conditioning. I guess there is enough moisture in the air already to balance out the humidity inside. But don’t you hate to wake up in the middle of the night in January with dry lips and a parched throat? And admit it, you sit there in the dark for a minute and think “Is this because I was breathing through my mouth and was I making awful noises?”

Truth is, it’s January and it’s DRY. My skin is dry and my throat is dry. Only thing I can be thankful for on this front is that my hair’s not frizzing.

And don’t we tend to dry out in other areas as well this time of year? Christmas is over and there’s that little let-down because we spent all our emotions in December. We’re trapped inside and looking out at what often appears to be an absolutely beautiful day…until we open the door. I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t look to find the sun first. I look at the trees – if they’re blowing, my door stays closed. Because the chill you get on a damp, windy January day cannot be warmed away. It takes up space in your bones for a bit.

I have to say that my spiritual life has been anything but dry over these last few weeks. God has blessed my life in so many ways and He has answered prayers. Right now, I’m speaking creatively. It’s just not there! I considered taking the blog down; but I do believe it’s something I’m supposed to continue to do.

And no, for you Julia Cameron fans, I have not been doing my morning pages. I think I will start them up again, though, because they work and keep me in balance as well. In case you don’t know, morning pages are three handwritten pages done every morning first thing – a brain dump, stream of consciousness, "what was that dream?"-type pages. They are supposed to empty your brain to prepare it to fill with new and exciting ideas. Just put your hand down. I’m not going to call on you because you just want to make everyone aware that my brain was pretty empty to begin with.

I was trying to figure out a way to tie this in to scripture, the lesson being that God’s Word is my only source of rejuvenating water, valued root-deep moisture on a dry day. But in truth I have been spending time there – that is why my spiritual life has been so abundant. So can God’s Word work in only one area of our lives and not another? I don’t believe so. I think sometimes it’s just a call to go deeper because the answers are all there.

So hang in there with me, my friends, and I will hopefully come out of this dry spell. And be encouraged if your life feels dry right now. It just takes time and water.

Ps 107:33, 35; Jeremiah 17:8
He turned rivers into a desert, flowing springs into thirsty ground…He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs…He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

Grateful for My Home

Our Pastor has been speaking on the Ten Commandments. We came to the last one today with “Thou shalt not covet.” He talked about the fact that coveting is a twisted desire – when we want something (or someone) so badly that it leads to discontent; when we want any one thing more than God; when it becomes “I would just be happy if…” and that answer is anyone or anything other than God.

It’s kind of funny because that whole contentment thing applies on so many levels, not just in being satisfied with what you have. I’ve taken this Sunday afternoon off, as I do every Sunday. I really regret that I did not start this practice until about five years ago. It is amazing how allowing myself this one day of total rest refreshes me so.

This afternoon I’ve been contemplating going to the Manning Restaurant tonight for our church celebration of Thanksgiving. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone again, even though I just saw them this morning. It’s a blessing to be in a church where your fellow church members are truly your family.

Yet part of me also is looking forward to coming back home tonight, getting in my jammies and snuggling down into the bed. Then tomorrow I’ll spend most of the day in the kitchen cooking for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday week in Virginia with our family. I’m in a frenzy of excitement – simply can’t wait. Yet, I will be in a frenzy to return to our sweet home again. My mom used to call it wishing your life away.

I’m sure it’s the same with everyone – when you fly, don’t you see the trip out as a series of mileposts to get through? If I can just get checked in…if I can just get through security…we’ll board soon…we’re landing, if I can just get off this plane. And so it goes until we reach our destination and we begin to look forward (with dread or anticipation depending on where we are) to the trip home.

It’s not at all about being discontented. In fact it’s the opposite – it’s good wherever and whenever I am. Always looking forward to something, always waiting for it to be over so I can take a deep sigh and rest. And here’s the thing – it will be that way until I can finally return home, my true home.

So this is my very strange Thanksgiving post. Am I grateful? You betcha. For so many things – my faith, my husband, my children and grandchildren, my church, friends, South Carolina. But most of all because I have Jesus – and because of Him, I know where I’m going and that it will be good to be home.

2 Peter 3:13, 14; 2 Timothy 1:12b
But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him… I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.

Futility Is Useless

I know of futility. According to the Random House Dictionary, it’s “the quality of being futile; ineffectiveness; uselessness.” American Heritage adds even more weight with “the quality of having no useful result, lack of importance of purpose.” I’m not preaching today. I’m trying to work out some issues in a public place. If you want to hang in, better grab a flyswatter.

As so often happens, I’m finding several sources combining to give me a message this week. You know how you study something in Sunday school and then the pastor preaches about it? Yeah, it’s like that. I’m preparing to lead a Bible study by Jennifer Rothschild called “Me, Myself & Lies”.

The lesson I was studying yesterday talks about “fact labels”. Some of the labels we give ourselves are subjective and may be true or not, e.g. friendly, funny, unlikable, popular, depending on who’s applying them. But we also have fact labels that are as they are and will probably not change, e.g. mom, daughter, senior, retired. It’s those last two that have been giving me fits over the past year and a few months. You see, even though they are facts, how we interpret them and apply them to our attitudes can change the way we face day-to-day life.

As most of you know (and many of you probably wish I’d finally be quiet about), I’ve struggled with layers of depression during this time. And if there was one word that I would apply, it would be “futility”. I don’t think I recognized that until recently. All I know is I worked and studied and worked some more, all the while feeling useless and without purpose. And I saw that also as laziness.

So yesterday afternoon, my lazy self is sitting down to study my Sunday school lesson. It’s about acting on faith and I’m planning to cruise right through since I know so much about faith, right? Yeah. God is so very patient with me. This week’s lesson was actually about acting on faith.

I’m “acting” in several ways. After much prayer, I have felt God’s leading in several areas including leading Bible studies and starting a mentoring ministry. I believe those are in His will for me and I am excited to do them. So why was I still feeling useless and lazy?

The lesson referred to Psalms 78:12-39 and discussed how the Lord had led the Israelites out of Egypt and rained down miracle after miracle on them to provide for their needs, often in response to their complaints. Finally “the wrath of God came against them, and slew the stoutest of them, and struck down the choice men of Israel (v. 31).” And still they sinned and did not believe.

Then I read verse 33 and God pulled out His highlighter and showed it to me again, big-time. “Therefore their days He consumed in futility, and their years in fear.” I wouldn’t say I have lived my last year in fear, but there has definitely been an element of hopelessness there. In this beautiful place, with these sweet and wonderful people, how is that even possible?

God has dealt with me over the last two days with that verse alone. Because you see, there is an element in my life where I have refused to believe Him. I say He wants me to write, He has even given me writing, and yet I have not moved forward in this area. The author of our study book talked about a decision she and her husband could not seem to make even though they had prayed over it for a while. They finally realized that God was asking them to step out in faith. I believe that is what He is asking of me.

I don’t know yet what that looks like. Perhaps I will push to get the things I have written published or perhaps I will get back into a project or two. I just know He intends for me to show Him that I believe He will deliver what I need to do this.

And just for my added amusement (I so love God’s sense of humor), I woke up yesterday morning with a crick in my neck, a slight twinge that worsened as the day progressed. By this morning, it was sore to the point that I could barely turn my head to the right. You guessed it. I had literally become a stiff-necked person.

Sand is Sand

I just returned from a week at Hilton Head with my brain unfuzzied yet one more time by ocean breezes…well, actually winds this week. Steve and I believe we need to get to the beach every few months or so to let the waves and the roar and the wind clear and blow out the space between our ears.

I sat in my fold-up chair (the kind that unfolds into four points for legs and collapses into a sling for easy carrying – wonderful invention) and let the sun work its magic. I have three positions for beach bumming and I alternate them every few minutes or so: nose in a book, head flung back and face to the sun, or eyes peeled for dolphin or those long undulating lines of pelicans searching for bait fish. I stay there until my skin feels crinkly and Steve pokes me and says “you’re done.”

The other day, though, as I sat and thought, it occurred to me that I always assume the beach changes to meet my mood. I closed my eyes and realized that I could have been at any age in my life or at pretty much any beach.

I was there with my teenaged daughter and her friends, giggling and watching for surfers. I treasured my first trip to the Outer Banks with Steve alone with no kids on an October week when the air was cool and I sat watching him fish. I cried one July as I watched a mom holding hands with her preteen daughter and thought about the young woman I had left at home alone for the first time, afraid that I had lost her for good. I watched my handsome son walk away and wondered if he knew how much I loved him. I stood in the waves with my grandkids and shrieked when a wave caught me by surprise. I walked with Steve on a Mother’s Day with tears in my eyes as I watched other happy families splashing in the surf.

Every time I go to the beach my circumstances, and usually my mood are different. And I just assume the beach changes with me. It doesn’t.

I have been so many different people during my life. And my God is faithful. He is the great I AM and never changes. Isn’t it a beautiful thing to have Someone we can count on to be there and to be the same no matter who we are when we approach Him?

I Samuel 15:29; Malachi 3:6; James 1:17; Deuteronomy 7:9;
He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man, that He should change His mind…I the LORD do not change…Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows…Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands.

Three Little Words

Well this could be about anything! Going green, save the planet – “Paper or plastic?” It’s not an emotion; it’s a verb! – “I love you.” Dress to impress on that interview – “We’re hiring you!” Don’t forget to live in the moment – “Be here now.” You can be anything you want to be – “Act as if!”

"Thank you, God." Three simple words that have the power to change our attitudes and set our lives on the right road. Before you dismiss this one as a simple, gratitude-is-expected devotional, give some thought to a way of life that could be a great challenge.

You got that promotion? Thank you, God! The medical test came back negative? Thank you, Father! The report card isn’t quite as good as you expected. Thank you, God. Someone cuts you off in traffic? Thank you, God. It’s strep, after all, and you’ll have to cancel that vacation. Thank you? Your husband has been transferred to the west coast and you have to leave your life as you know and love it. Father? The call comes in the middle of the night. Thank…you…God.

Getting the idea? It’s easy when it’s easy. But what if we could make it a way of life? And I don’t mean a rote mantra we say because it’s habit. I mean an honest gratitude for each and every blessing and challenge that comes our way. Because when our first impulse is to turn a grateful face to God, the results continue to increase our faith.

Satan begins to realize we’re not an easy target. Our reliance on God is our only strength and we put our complete trust in Him. We aren’t going to let life’s little bumps run us to the shoulder of the road in defeat.

When we are thanking Him, we are put in a position of seeing the possibilities in every trial, the potential for growth. “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope (Romans 5:3,4).”

Finally, our immediate gratitude acknowledges that we know that He has a plan and He is in control. And isn’t His complete control the idea after all? Life is just better when the One who loves us most and knows us best is driving the car.

Eph 5:20
Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Greater Is He

Perhaps I am an attention hog. I try to be a quiet attention hog. I’ve always been hopeful that no one knows this, though now you all do. I need love, positive reinforcement, warm fuzzies.

The entertainment business has never intrigued me in the least. I have far too many flocks of butterflies in my innards for it to appeal. But I so love the lyrics to Chris Sligh’s “Empty Me” because they absolutely represent the lesson I most need to learn:

“Empty me of the selfishness inside, every vain ambition and the poison of my pride and any foolish thing my heart holds to, Lord, empty me of me so I can be filled with you.”

I’ve read my Bible and I’ve heard the Sunday school teacher. My intellect knows the lesson: God wants to be my source of all – every need, want and desire – and He will provide. He does His best work in my life when I am desperately seeking Him.

So why does my heart crave what I get from people? Why do I need to hear good things from my friends? Why do I forget to just keep taking it to Jesus for His loving attention?

This morning I was feeling particularly “needy”. And I was talking to Jesus about this very thing and asking His forgiveness for being so stubborn. And I sat down at the computer and I hit “send and receive” and I received a precious email that gave me what I needed and so much more.

This time at least I had the good sense to first of all thank and praise God for it. And I sat for a while and basked in the glow of feeling good. Then, guess what I did?

Of course. I began to think “who can I tell?” Because it wasn’t enough for me to feel good. I needed for someone else, not to feel good with me, but to reinforce and tell me how I deserved that email.

I struggle with pride. I’m quite open about it, but I always add “not that I think I’m better than anyone else! I just like attention.” But isn’t it all the same thing? Doesn’t it all boil down to putting me first? Doesn’t matter at that point whether I put Jesus or other people second because I’ve already messed up the order!

Two sweet friends shared a scripture with me this past weekend and, because God’s Word never returns void, it took! (I kept my email to myself) And for that same reason, I’ll share it with you.

John 3:30
He must become greater; I must become less.