Crying Out to God

Over the last couple weeks, I've grieved with a sweet friend who lost her forty-two year old sister to an untimely death. I've listened to a dear friend describe how her marriage is falling apart. And I myself have been diagnosed with a chronic disease.

It's times like these when we ask "why?"

Why the pain? Why the sadness?

I wish I could give you an answer that would make it "all better."

I do know this: God is faithful, and all things really do work out for good to those who love God. (Romans 8:28)

And I know that God understands our cries. In fact, He welcomes our cries. Isaiah 58:9 says "Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and He shall say, 'Here I am.'" (KJV)

So if you're hurting today. If you're tired or grieving or sad. Cry out to Him and know that He will hear you. More importantly, know that He is with you.

As He said in Isaiah, "Here I am."

Sunday Night Blues

It's Sunday, and the day is winding down. I enjoyed a wonderful time of worship at my home church this morning, did some shopping with my husband, played with the dogs . . . typical Sunday "stuff." It's been a nice relaxing day.

But now I face the "Sunday Night Blues." You know what I mean: You've enjoyed your weekend even if you had tons of things to do, and now you know that the work week starts in just a few hours.

Sound familiar?

Now, I'm fortunate to work at a wonderful company, and I really do love my job. The problem is that I love my husband and home and ministry more, and it's hard sometimes to balance all of it.
So, what do I do to get over these blues? What can you do?

There's a verse that helps me to actually look forward to Mondays: "And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men." (Col 3:23)

Remembering that my job is a gift from God and that I'm called to work to glorify Him makes it easier to get over those Sunday Night Blues.

I pray that this will help you as you prepare for another work week.

Be blessed!

A Servant's Heart

Lately, I seem to be reading, seeing, hearing a lot about being a servant. I'm currently going through a Charles Stanley Bible study on the topic. Within the last month, I've read two books on leadership that focus on it. And I just attended a conference for leaders that discussed it.

So why all this talk about serving others? Because that's what we're called to do as children of the King. Jesus served His followers by washing their feet. We can't do anything less.

I've felt very convicted about this lately, and I've been challenged to find ways to serve. I've been wanting to mentor a younger woman, so I'm starting to look at opportunities to do this. And at the other end of the spectrum, I've missed having my grandparents (I lost my last living grandparent last year), so I'm looking into "adopting" a grandma.

But beyond these, I'm also looking for every opportunity to serve others with a joyful heart. I realized that I can clean my house--something I don't really love--with a servant's heart because I'm doing something to make our home more pleasant. I can complete tasks for others at work without grumbling. I can ask for specific ways to help my friends and family.

What can you do? How can you be more like Christ? Serving others actually serves God. And serving God brings glory to Him.

Find ways to serve today. And cultivate a servant's heart.