In my teenage years, I went through a period where I was chronically ill. Doctors put me through a myriad of tests to try and solve the mystery of why my body was going through so many episodes of sickness and pain. To encourage me to endure the most difficult procedures, my mom promised me a trip to the hospital gift shop afterwards where I could pick something out for myself. It was something to look forward to on the other side of misery and unknowns. And though I didn’t always mention it beforehand, I hoped she would remember each time another test was scheduled. She did and I felt loved (thank you, Momma).Though this is an example of a small promise, you’ve probably had moments where someone promised you something much greater. Did that person fulfill his/her promise to you? How did that make you feel? Fulfilled promises build…

Sitting around the dinner table last night with friends, someone said his parents gave murmurings of a potential move to their son a few weeks before the request was needed. An idea was quickly presented and they left the room. Then, the night before they needed him to move (on good terms due to the house being renovated), they said he needed to be out the next day. Had he listened to the “murmurings” weeks before, he would have been better prepared.While reading Genesis 7 again today, last night’s story came fresh to mind. Sometime between Noah’s 500th and 600th birthday, God gave him instructions to build an ark because He was sending a flood to destroy the wickedness and corruption of creation. The Lord had given him a covenantal promise that He would preserve Noah, his wife, his sons, and his sons’ wives, along with two of every kind…

Grief is something no one wants to go through yet often is a familiar place to be. It can surprise us when it comes, sometimes catching us off guard years after we’ve moved on from the situation. But there’s something almost comforting in the tears… the quietness… the memories.Corruption of sin instituted grief. It’s the awareness that life shouldn’t be this way. We’re missing something. An ache of the void of constant joy. But grief is also healthy in a sense. It causes us to look for the source of comfort and joy that can fill us once again. This solution for these may strangely begin for you in today’s reading:“When the Lord saw that human wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every inclination of the human mind was nothing but evil all the time, the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and he was deeply grieved. Then the Lord said, “I will…

“Lord, it’s not fair. Why could she have a baby and not me?” Though many would be embarrassed to confess it, I’m guessing that a fair amount of those who’ve dealt with infertility have cried this question to God. Why does He allow some who might not have the resources to care for a child to keep the baby and others who could easily and healthfully care for one, not have one? Though by human standards it doesn’t always make sense, there’s something spiritually at work that goes beyond the human eye. It’s something I needed to come to terms with myself.To be honest, I have been guilty of asking this question a number of times in the deepest pain of my infertility sorrow, when my womb ached for life within it. “Why, God? Would I not be a good mother?”Then the questions of raising children in this world came…

Can sorrow and joy walk hand-in-hand? Can you hold both sadness and happiness together?  Black is often associated with sorrow or mourning. I don’t naturally think of mourning when I think of a gift. It’s quite the opposite usually. I was first introduced to the phrase “a gift wrapped in black”  when reading an autobiography by Joni Eareckson Tada. It struck me as rather odd, so I continued reading to find out what she meant.

Have you carried the baggage of shame around from past hurts either by sins you’ve committed or by what others have done to you? Do you feel healing and freedom is gifted to others but you don’t deserve it for yourself? How do you think Adam and Eve felt; the first taste of shame in the world upon them as they severed humanity’s relationship with God? Can you imagine the anguish they would have felt after learning of their son Cain’s sin of murdering their other beloved son, Abel? The consequences of their sin and now their son’s sin would drastically pain them! In God’s amazing grace, He didn’t leave Adam and Eve without hope, and He doesn’t leave you without it either!

The Lord graciously warned Cain that the enemy was tempting him to commit sin, like his parents had. But he didn’t have to give in. The Lord had provided a way of escape. Do you feel like temptation wants to overtake you? Are you craving something you know isn’t part of God’s good order? Hold on, there’s hope for you!

What is your instant reaction when you read Genesis 3? What aspect of God stands out to you most in this chapter? Ex. Creator, All-Sovereign, wrathful, Judge? Is it possible to experience yet another perspective in this well-known Bible story; one of God’s love?

Do you want to know God more? Do you want to discern what His voice sounds like? How you can have a more effective prayer life? These have also been my desire. I want to always listen and know when God speaks to me, and be quicker to obedience as a result. It would be amazing to study through the Scriptures how to strategize and tactfully execute the things the Lord calls us to through prayer, and know how to best apply them. Though that was my original intent in beginning my Bible reading through Genesis again, the Lord revealed to me an even deeper desire in my spirit as His Spirit illuminated another theme in this context…

My dad and stepmom were getting ready to leave for a trip, so I phoned them the night before to hear how things were coming together, to bless their time away, and remind them of my love for them. It was a good chat. Near the end of the conversation, my dad paused in contemplative silence for a moment then said, “I love you very much… Do you know how much I love you? …I love you so so much.” Tears filled my eyes. My heart hadn’t known how much I needed to hear those genuine words.