Streams of Light from a Heart Held

Day 18 The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; Psalm 24:1 In the early pre-dawn of each new day, during the time I call “Coffee and Snuggles with Jesus (and Pishwit),” I listen for the voice of My Father, through His Word, with my heart. Sometimes, I get an image; sometimes, a distant memory will emerge, and sometimes, I hear nothing. Yet, there are times, like this morning, when a feeling washes over me, absolutely overflowing my heart. Today, that feeling was Peace. First, let me confess. I may have a little bit of a control issue. I may try to create the illusion that I control some things. I used to be worse...much worse. Losing John so suddenly and unexpectedly gave me a hard reboot in this area because it was then that I surrendered to the realization that in all the big things, the essential things, the life and death things, I have ZERO control. This may have been much harder for me to accept if I hadn’t walked more closely with my Savior than ever before. Before John died, I had been intentionally seeking my Savior and discovering His presence sprinkled throughout my days in so many wonder-filled ways. I began to see His great love for me, I felt His joy in the little things we shared, and I increasingly understood the depth of His sacrifice for ME. I was walking in gratitude. I was figuring out that I, my infinitesimally small self, mattered to the Creator of the universe and everything in it. I was so thankful for the way He had blessed my life so abundantly. Trusting God through the hills and valleys of this life means relinquishing the illusion of control to the One who actually IS in control. There is no greater peace than surrendering everything to your Father, who is simultaneously all-powerful, merciful, sovereign, and mighty yet still whispers His goodness to your heart as He carries you through your darkest days. God is GOOD ~ ALL the time! Day 19 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. Romans 1:16 As a do-er by nature, I often try to figure out how to put hands and feet on passages I read and discover how to bring them into my everyday world. Each morning, as I read the “Verse of the Day,” I wonder, “How can I frame this verse so that I can walk it out in the here and now?” This morning, I was caught by the phrase “not ashamed.” How do I demonstrate my belief in the Gospel in a way that clearly shows that I am unashamed of its message? For starters, I can declare the Word, the Gospel, to everyone within my world with an unapologetic boldness daily. Yet, while I was turning this over in my heart, the question that kept surfacing was, “Why?” At the end of the day, why is declaring the Gospel so vitally important? Do my little posts really make a difference in the grand scheme of the universe? And immediately, two things popped into my mind. First, this verse from Romans 10: And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Romans 10:14-15 (NIV) Second, is the story of the starfish, in which the man asks the little boy why he is bothering to throw the starfish back into the water because he clearly cannot make a difference with miles of beached starfish. The little boy responds as he tosses one into the water: " I can make a difference to this one.” We never know who God has placed along our path, who is watching or listening from afar. Keep declaring His love and echoing it into this world. Only God knows whose life you might be saving. God is GOOD ~ ALL the time!