“You’re stronger than you think.”
I was mid roll on the ab roller when my burn boot camp instructor sat down next to me. “Come on,” she cheered. She extended out her hand to a length that would push me a said, “roll it out to here each time.” Guess what? I met the goal she set for me. And then she said… “You’re stronger than you think.” I just thought you might need to hear that today too. You ARE stronger than you think. For some, getting out of bed today even seemed like an unreachable goal. But hey, you did it. For others, you ARE able to achieve that work goal, start that hard conversation, or ask God do accomplish the impossible on your behalf. Transparently…
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We’ve all heard the phrase “New year, New Me” about one thousand times. But here’s the deal, we don’t really need a new “us.” Why? Because we start things and don’t finish them. We make New Year’s resolutions and forget what they are by February. When the pressure is on us to fix us, we’re fail every time, right? What we’ve been doing isn’t working! That’s why we don’t need a “new me,” we need a new strategy. Here’s what I’ve been doing each new year and I’m tossing this plan in the trash. I’ve been adding things onto my life thinking these new additions will make my life more fulfilling, that I’ll even experience greater growth in my walk with Christ. More healthy food and exercise… More quiet time with God… Achieve more goals… Make more money… More date nights with my husband… Be more intentional with my kids… Gosh, just thinking of “more” makes my chest start to tighten. Is it doing that to you too? Because I know I need “more” of these things but life already feels full to the brim. If I throw on “more” I’m going to explode. I can’t handle more. I need less. And that is exactly how do we do more of what we know God is calling us into next year…. 
King Solomon is famously quoted for saying “there’s nothing new under the sun” in Ecclesiastes 1:9. And he’s right, isn’t he? History does always seem to repeat itself, every thing builds upon something preexisting, and even the most creative ideas are birthed out of a previous thought or teaching.
If there’s nothing new, why should we walk into a new year any differently? Can we expect 2025 to hold anything original? Will God actually do something fresh for us? 
Do you know what Christmas color isn’t actually a happy color? Red.
There is a famous painting that is basically a giant red canvas which seems easy to take in or pass over. Yet, the artist's intent is that you stand up close to the canvas and be consumed by the red. We tend to look at our emotions this time of year like that giant red canvas; something we can take in at a distance but don’t actually have time to get up close and personal with. However, God, as the artist of emotion, intended for us to encounter the canvas of our Christmas and see what’s really below the surface. 
"But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
-Luke 2:10-12, NIV When people see you, what do you think they see? All your accolades or accomplishments? A potential success or failure? A social status or label? When the angels first appeared, the shepherds freaked out. So, the angels validated God's words by saying, "And this will be a sign to you..." Sometimes, like the shepherds, we need proof that we actually play a great part in God's story and that His Word is true for us. Even though Jesus is no longer physically here lying in a manger, He is still present, living, and active on earth. So, how do we know God’s words are true for us? What is our sign? 
You’ve probably heard the story of David and Goliath. David is a scrawny teenager who decides to slay a giant in a war he wasn’t old enough to fight in. The King at the time, Saul, tries to protect David by at least giving him some armor to wear. Notice what happens:
"Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. “I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off." - 1 Samuel 17:38-39, NIV Take a moment to imagine David as he straps on all that heavy gear and it weighs his awkward teenage body down. The metal clangs around, his feet shuffle under the weight, and he can’t quite see out of the helmet on his head. So what does he do? He takes it off. As I've been studying about David’s life for work, I’m realizing just how much we have to learn from this moment! How often do we put on other people’s armor and pray it does the trick for us?  This is not something I’m proud of…
But I tend to choose grumbling over gratitude. Instead of asking “What’s the best thing that could happen?” I find myself catastrophizing and wondering what the worst could be in this situation. I can point out a negative over a positive in a second. In times of stress, my world becomes black and white— here’s what’s working and here’s what’s not. There is no in between. As I’ve aged, I’ve also become more self-aware and have worked on this over the years. Here’s the main thing I’ve learned: Gratitude and grumbling cannot co-exist. Possibly this is why 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” The “all circumstances” part is the hardest, right? It’s easier to wish for or whine about the greener grass rather than put in the work to cultivate the land we've been given. When we long for healing, it’s incredibly hard to give thanks to the Healer who hasn’t come through yet. At times it can seem safer to uproot instead of sink your roots deep into something and make it grow. It’s our human default to want more rather than make the most of it. However, the secret to contentment is living life as one great big thank you note to God. It's not wanting more but making more of our moments. It's being present enough to soak up the potential in the place we're in-- the dry and weary land or the celebrated promised one. If you find yourself grumbling today, try gratitude instead. Just try it. You may find that your passive aggressive comments turn into praise, anxiety gives way to peace, and notice the beautiful things in the broken place. Here’s how to start… 
This past week has been a rollercoaster. If you’ve followed me for any amount of time, you may know that I’ve struggled with anxiety and waves of insomnia for years. As that resurfaced for me recently, I’ve had to go back to old writings and reels to give myself a pep talk and remind me of the fact that I’ve come through before. What God has already done, He can do again.
Suffering, despite how incredibly painful or uncomfortable it may be, is often our best teacher. It is there in the fire that we, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, become aware of, drawn to and dependent upon another in the midst of the blaze, sustaining us through. When the heat dies down and we are finally delivered, we see that Jesus was with us even in the messy middle, held our hand when our struggles have threatened to take us out, and allowed us to step out without even the smell of smoke so that He may get the glory. People too notice how we suffered and came through to the other side They see that the miracles and hope we bear witness to in the impossible circumstances can only be attributed to a great God. While we hate our pain, both attacks from the enemy and self-inflicting wounds, God always gives it purpose. In seasons of suffering, our thanksgiving is a “sacrifice of praise” (Hebrews 13:15). When my hallelujah is worn out, here are three things I have been so grateful for that carry me through until a strong song of praise is back on my lips… 
In one of the most polarizing elections in America’s history, we the people have elected Donald Trump to be our next president of the United States of America. Some are thrilled and others are brokenhearted. Many are celebrating while others are rocked with fear or disbelief. Due to social media and those with concrete opinions blasting their stances, we can forget that there is also an entire population who feel neither red nor blue, but gray. They didn't know who to vote for or chose a third party candidate and are watching the sea of voices and news headlines roll in and wondering how the tide will wash out.
It would be incredibly easy this week to hop over to a favorite social media outlet to vent, seek solace from a comment section, or leave something nasty in the feed of an outspoken individual with a view that opposes our own. There, take that! But, what if we didn’t? What if we allowed this month that is blanketed in the theme of gratitude to actually inspire us to unity instead?  As I was flipping through an old book a few days ago, a paper bookmark fell out and skidded across the floor. I strolled over to its landing place and picked it up. Instantly, I noticed the title of the writing inscribed across the paper placeholder, “Prayer for Local and National Elections.” It was a prayer from Derek Prince Ministries that dated back to October of 1980. While it was written forty-four years ago during the Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter presidential race, it couldn’t have been more timely for us today.
Rather than me try to reach for words, I think God wanted us to find this paper so we can again borrow this prayer as we head into election week 2024: |
