“Love thy neighbors,” scripture says. (Mark 12:31) It’s instinctual for us to think of community and togetherness.
Hugs. Handshakes. “Healing high-fives” -- as my husband would say.
But, in times like these (amidst the coronavirus), how do you express that love to others? When tragedy has spread to every corner of our world and our only solution is separation and isolation -- how do we still love others?
You may not know me, but I know everything about you. Psalm 139:1
I know when you sit down and when you rise up. Psalm 139:2
I am familiar with all your ways. Psalm 139:3
Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. Matthew 10:29-31
Everyone, young and old, has felt a form of loneliness in some capacity. Even Jesus, during His time on Earth, experienced loneliness. But God gives us a promise – He will NEVER leave us or forsake us! We are always in the palm of His hand, loved and adored in ways we didn't even think possible. Loneliness is just part of the journey, but there are ways to combat it – God's Love Letter (AKA the Bible!)
One of my favorite pastimes is to lounge in cozy coffee shops as I talk to friend, journal, spend time with Jesus, and dream up ideas and goals for the future. Maybe that’s why New Year’s Day (and the eve too) is one of my favorite holidays, if not my very favorite holiday, along with the lakey goodness of July Fourth and the twinkly lights of Christmas. I generally spend the first day of each new year in a coffee shop doing just that...
Your alarm goes off and you hit the ground running. You grab a cup of coffee, slam down some breakfast, and scramble out the door for another day of breathless, non-stop activity. School, family, work, friends, Pinterest—all of them demand your time and attention. By the time the day is done you’re lucky if you’ve spared a thought or two for more heavenly things, let alone gotten through the evening without retreating completely into your phone.
For my name’s sake I defer my anger: for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off. Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.” Isaiah 48:9-11
Your hunky crush; your English teacher; your whole high school... staring... at you. A few scream, a few gasp, a handful laugh; but the one commonality is the horror in their eyes. Quickly, you realize something is not right, not right at all. And as you follow their glances and peer down at your body, you find the culprit of their reactions – You. Are. NAKED. Butt... NAKED!
Exodus 25:8, "Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them."
This is one of my favorite Bible verses. While in the wilderness, the Lord spoke to Moses and asked for a tabernacle for the purpose of dwelling with His people.
I sang a song to God one day while I was driving about how I didn’t want the rocks and stones to cry out in my place. (Luke 19:40, “I tell you, He replied, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”)
Whether you’re trying something new, enduring the grind of the everyday, or facing something you never imagined would come your way, life can be overwhelming and sometimes even scary. When that happens, how do you live brave? How do you learn to become a woman of courage? Who do you turn to as examples or mentors?