Any Given Day: 34

Family

It's amazing how much of who we are comes from our upbringing. Some of us grew up in healthy, happy households where parents and children communicated lovingly and everyone felt safe. Some of us didn't.

Our relationships as adults stem from what we learned as children, we internalize and carry that forward to our own children. Some of us take the time to examine (sometimes with professional help) how our individual experiences shaped our current state of affairs. Some of us don't. Some of us decide to do better than our parents, some of us forget we have that option.

You have that option. Breaking bad cycles and continuing good ones is a conscious choice each of us make when we become a spouse and a parent, or even just a significant other. There is a responsibility each of us has to ensure that the people we say we love feel safe and cared for. Relationships flourish with loving care, kind words, and acts of service. Relationships wither and die without them, at the cost of emotional bankruptcy.

God explains very clearly what a healthy family dynamic should look like throughout most books of the bible. Paul wrote Timothy a very poignant letter outlining how we should treat our family members. The care that he describes is not just financial. We have a responsibility to take care of each other emotionally as well. Then we can take care of our spiritual family more effectively outside of our house. We are all connected and it starts within the home.

A prayer for those who face conflict inside the walls that should be our safe haven from a crazy world...

Heavenly Father, You are the patriarch we should be looking to for guidance on how best to serve our families. Teach me how to handle mistreatment, and how to avoid inflicting pain on those I love most. Jesus showed love to His family, His followers, and those who despised Him. Teach me how to do the same. Give me the strength to stand tall, turn the other cheek, hold my tongue, and control my behavior. You love me unconditionally. Keep me close and protect me today. AMEN

1 Timothy 5:8

Any Given Day: 32

Betrayal...

There are few things more heartbreaking than human betrayal. By it's very nature, it requires a breach of trust between two people who shared a mutual bond. Regardless if it is a financial deal gone wrong between two business partners, or a knife stuck in the heart of a significant other, or a brother turning on another brother, the results are devastating.

Humans are hard wired to be connected. We build relationships as we roll along through life, some superficial and some deep. Betrayal can only take place in the deeper relationships... when something was invested, where we hung our hopes and expectations, where a foundation of trust existed. It is so painful because we rested there, in contentment and honor, and one day, the proverbial rug is pulled out. Rudely, abruptly, and seemingly out of nowhere.

It happens for many reasons, and each person has a part to play. Once the damage has been done, it creates a cascade of events...all of them based in fear. Fear of more pain, failure, sorrow, brokenness, and regret. The natural reaction is to put up your barriers, harden your heart, and base future decisions on someone else's bad ones.

What do you suppose would have happened to humanity if Jesus had followed this formula?

How sad and heartbroken Jesus must have been to know that one of His brothers, a trusted follower, would succumb to Satan and betray his Master. What would it have been like to walk alone in the garden, knowing your end was coming, feeling every human emotion... and the ultimate rejection? Jesus faced pain and suffering beyond our understanding, yet He never waivered in His love for people, even in the face of certain death. He took it like a man, He did not get angry, He did not strike out, He knew that something greater was at work. His pain ensured our Salvation...selfless to the core. He will always be the One you can count on!

For those of you feeling the sting and sadness of betrayal, a prayer:

Lord, I have been terribly hurt by someone I care for. Place your arms around me and provide me some comfort! Help me to control my reactions, and learn from my experience. Remind me that Jesus, a perfect person, was also betrayed, and knows my suffering. Please give me the patience to endure the test and become stronger because of it. Teach me how to let go of anger and build a foundation of honor again, with wisdom gained, and hope restored. AMEN

Psalm 118:8

Any Given Day: 27

Hope

How many times have we looked upon a situation with no hope? We worry and fret over what might happen as though our thoughts can change the outcome. Lack of hope sucks our energy, depresses our mood, and kills our motivation. "Why try?" we ask.

Hopefulness is the brother of faith. Knowing that God's will is what can and will be done allows us to relax, focus our attention on what we can do in the here and now, and let the chips fall as they may.

We want certain things. We meditate on them to the point of obsession. Hopefulness is an attractive virtue, and it is different from wishful thinking. We can wish for stuff, money, jobs, and for things to go our way. Hope requires a different perspective. Living hopefully means knowing everything we want isn't coming today, but we aren't getting down about it.

Living in the light, we can walk with a hopeful attitude, reminded always, that God has our best interests at heart. If we are living according to His plan, and really taking the time to get to know Him, we someday get to have it all!

For those whose sense of hope is waning:

Precious Father, I fear an uncertain future. Life is not right side up and I need your help. Show me what hope looks like, and remind me of the goodness of people and the greatness of Your Son! Help me to stay focused on Your plan instead of my own, so that I can walk with the assurance that a beautiful future awaits! AMEN

Romans 15:13

Any Given Day: 10

Endurance.

The ability to maintain forward momentum on a chosen path, regardless of circumstance. The ability to endure is tested during hard times, particularly when another path would be so easy. Sometimes we refer to this path as the high road. Discipline and self control are necessary to stay the course. Just as a marathon runner doesn't give up all the hard work and training at the first sign of discomfort, neither should we give up what we know is right at the first sign of difficulty.

God is known for testing us. He wants to grow and become stronger through our perseverance and our pain. It brings us closer to him. When we reach out and ask for help from God and others it increases our chances for success. If we don't give up, and we keep going despite setbacks, disappointment, and hardship, we are richly rewarded both on earth and in heaven.

If you are tempted to give up on something important, pray these words:

Lord God, it would be easy to let go of the rope and give up today. If it is Your will for me to continue, please help me see the way. Light the path clearly, remove the debris in my way, and ease my struggle. You alone know what is best for me and I trust You to guide me in what is right. The road is narrow and difficult at times, but Your help can get me past the tough parts and propel me forward. No one had a tougher road than the one Jesus walked to His death, may that image give me strength and endurance. AMEN

Romans 5:3-5

Any Given Day: 9

Faith

The dictionary definition for Faith is:

1. a firm belief in something for which there is no proof

2. complete trust.

The biblical definition for Faith is:

"It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see." The entire chapter in Hebrews then goes on to recount historical details of people with faith. Example after example of unexplained miracles that transformed history because of faith in God.

We have such a difficult time with this sometimes. "In God We Trust" is written on the US money supply and it was the foundation of discovery and expansion of America. Yet we insist that we control our own destiny and we want to solve our problems that were originally brought about by our lack of faith.

Today, if you find yourself trying to do life without the guidance and support of the One who loves you most, don't waste time looking around for proof of His existence. Look around KNOWING his existence in all you see. Just because life is not going the way you would prefer it to, doesn't mean He isn't at work.

Heavenly Father, show me how to walk in faith today. Help me to know that You are beside me and you have my best interests at heart. May I hold my head up high and go about my business without needing proof that You exist, and believing that Jesus was who He said He was. Allow me to share my faith with others without fear of human retaliation. You are first, last, and always. AMEN

Hebrews 11:1-40