pray without ceasing
1 Thessalonians 5:17

The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working
James 5:16

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.
Colossians 4:2

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
Romans 12:12

As I was praying the other day, God impressed upon me the importance of such a venture–He reminded me of not only the power of prayer but also its necessity. Although we sometimes think of prayer as the thing to do when there is nothing else to do (“Well, I am too far away to physically help, so I’ll just pray,” or “I don’t know how to help, so I’ll just pray.”), prayer is active.  It is powerful. It is necessary.  It is essential. Prayer is not “just” anything. Prayer is to our spiritual life what water is to our physical.

Let’s think about water for a moment. Water is essential to every aspect of our lives. First of all, we need it to live. More than half of our bodies are made up of water, our organs require water to function, and a person without water will die in only a few days. Furthermore, we use water for most of our everyday tasks. We use it to cook and to clean–to clean ourselves, our children, our pets, the dishes, the clothes, the house, and the car. We use it to cool off in the summer, and we enjoy playing in its frozen form in the winter. We use it to put out fires, to give power to our homes, and to travel from place to place.

Life would be difficult, if not impossible, without water.

And so also our spiritual lives will be difficult, if not impossible, without prayer. Prayer should not be our last resort; it should be our life blood. Just imagine if we treated prayer the way we treat water. We would drink it in the morning to kickstart our digestion. We’d bring it everywhere, being sure to drink it throughout the day. We’d immediately feel the need for it if we waited too long to have some or ate something a little too salty. We would be sure to use it in everything, especially to clean and maintain ourselves, our family, our friends, and our stuff.  We would harness its power, be revived by its freshness, and celebrate the joy that comes from it. Yes, if we treated prayer like water, our lives would never be the same.

Therefore, I encourage you to join me today in embracing the power and the necessity of prayer–join me in remaining diligent to continually maintain an attitude of prayer.

Living without prayer–living without communion with the Giver of life–is a spiritual death sentence, for when we cease praying, or when we only pray periodically, we are essentially depriving ourselves of spiritual nourishment. We’ll soon feel dry, parched, and sluggish. Our ability to think clearly and act wisely will become fuzzy, and we’ll become spiritually dehydrated.

Let’s not become spiritually dehydrated. Let’s pray–pray without ceasing. Let’s train ourselves to pray first in all things, to pray first in everything.

I cannot stress enough the importance of prayer. So today I will end as I began: with God’s Word. I pray that as you read His Word–as you drink in His Word–God will open your eyes to what He is saying: prayer is not “just” anything; prayer is everything.

The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
Psalms 145:18 ESV

Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.
Jeremiah 33:3 ESV

Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Matthew 26:41 ESV

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:16 ESV

do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6‭-‬7 ESV

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,
1 Timothy 2:1 ESV

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
1 John 5:14‭-‬15 ESV

And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
Revelation 5:8 ESV

fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10 ESV

It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
Deuteronomy 31:8 ESV

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,
John 14:16 ESV

And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
Matthew 28:20 ESV

See you later alligator. See you in a while crocodile. Sayonara. Adios. Au revoir. Until we meet again. Parting is such sweet sorrow. Farewell. Take care. Have a good one. Catch you later. Love you. There are innumerable ways to say goodbye. Yet one thing is for sure, whether we are saying goodbye for a short time, a long time, or until heaven, we will all have to say goodbye at some point in our lives.

Now I personally do not like goodbyes, especially when the goodbye involves a beloved friend or family member. I also don’t like saying goodbye to the familiar because the familiar is comfortable and inviting while the the unknown can be awkward and scary.

Yet this morning God spoke a truth to my heart that encouraged me greatly. It’s a truth I have read several times, for it’s written several places in His Word,  but this morning God spoke it to me from a different perspective.

Here it is: God never says goodbye, only welcome home.

God never says goodbye. Do you get that?!  God never says goodbye! No matter how many times on earth we may have to say it, and no matter how many times on earth we may have to hear it, we will never hear God say goodbye. We’ll never hear Him say, “See ya later,” “Sayonara,”  “Adios,” or “I’m outta here.” We will, however, hear Him say, “This is the way; walk in it.” We will hear Him say, “Come, take up your cross and follow Me.” We will hear Him say, “Go into all the world and make disciples.” But we will never hear Him say goodbye. Why? Because He can’t! He can’t say goodbye… because He never leaves! God is always with us! Always! He is with me right now as I write this; He is with you right now as you read it. He is with the ones grieving the loss of the husband, father, and grandfather; He is with the ones grieving the loss of the wife, mother, and grandmother.  God is always with us. He will never leave us, never forsake us, and He will never say goodbye.

But He will say welcome home. After He has walked us through every path along life’s journey–after He has brought us through the storms, through the rivers, through the tunnels, through the valleys, and over the mountain tops, He he will lead us home. He will open up the gates of heaven, turn to us and say, “Welcome home. Welcome home, my child. You have walked the path with me, loved me, and served me. We have been together through it all. Now come. Come into the mansion I have prepared for you.”

I’m not sure what you may be facing today. I’m not sure what goodbye you may have heard or have had to say, but be encouraged knowing that the God who made you and loves you and cares for you will never say goodbye to you. He will never give up on you; He will never walk away from you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.

God loves you, my friend.  So take heart. Feel Him right now as He puts His arm around you, leans in close, and whispers in your ear, “I will never say goodbye to you. I love you. You are Mine, and I am yours. Forever.”

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. What gain has the worker from his toil? I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time….
Ecclesiastes 3:1‭‭-‬11 ESV

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”  This well-known expression has been around for centuries. According to the online Cambridge Dictionary, it is  “used to express the fact that not all people have the same opinions about what is attractive.” In other words, my beautiful is not necessarily your beautiful.

Now from the human perspective, this makes sense, for we all see things a bit differently. Good to me may not be good to you. Nevertheless, in the above passage from Ecclesiastes, I believe Solomon wants us to take away a unique perspective on beauty: God’s beautiful does not always seem beautiful to us, but this discrepancy does not negate the inherent beauty of what God has ordained. Every season we travel through is beautiful in God’s eyes, even if we can’t see it or can’t understand it. For if God makes everything beautiful in its time, then what God declares beautiful cannot be ugly.

This past weekend a friend lost her husband of many years and our family lost a beloved mom, grandma, and great grandma. And with each loss of life, we grieve, for death is indeed a season of saying goodbye, of losing a companion, of missing the face to face fellowship. Death means no more phone calls (even the accidental ones our grandma was notorious for), no more texts, no more visits, no more crazy stories at family get-togethers. Death creates a distance that cannot be closed this side of heaven. For death separates this life from eternity. Nevertheless, even as we mourn (something natural, expected, and also uniquely beautiful in its time), we  must not lose sight of the beauty of death. Psalm 116:15 declares, “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.” Paul told the Corinthians, “We are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). He also told the Philippians in 1:21, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

Death is something we will all face. Eternity awaits all of us. Yet there is beauty in knowing that our death here on earth marks the beginning of our life in heaven with God. Therefore, I encourage you (and me) today, to ask God to help you see the beauty in death, to even see the beauty in the grief. Alfred Lord Tennyson penned the well known lines: “Tis better to have loved and lost // Than never to have loved at all.” In other words, when our hearts hurt at the loss of a loved one, there is beauty in knowing we had someone to lose.

Now I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out the following to you: God makes everything beautiful in its time.  Yes, everything. Even this. Sickness and health. Birth and death. Work and no work. Short commutes and long commutes. Certainty and uncertainty.  Whatever “time” you are in, God makes it beautiful. If you can’t see it today–if you are reading this and thinking, “How is this beautiful?”–then I encourage you to ask God to show you the beauty as you trust in His divine wisdom in allowing this season at this time.

The last part of Ecclesiastes 3:11 reads as follows: Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. Although we can ask God to help us see the beauty in everything, we must also remember we will never fully comprehend the beauty within every season we travel. But we do have hope, for God has planted a bit of eternity in each of us. God has given each of us that measure of faith necessary to be able to mourn with hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13) and to understand that  “now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now [we] know in part; then [we] shall know fully, even as [we] have been fully known (1 Corinthians 13:12 ESV).

God does not promise that every season will be easy. God has not promised that every season will seem fun. But He does promise to make every season and every time beautiful. In His eyes.  So go forth with hope and with confidence today knowing what God beholds beautiful is beautiful indeed.  Even this.

Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns.
Matthew 14:13 ESV

This morning I asked God who He would say my favorite Bible character is. When I paused to listen for the answer, I heard “Bob.” Yes, you read that correctly. I heard Bob. So of course I smiled to myself (while also thinking that maybe I had a little too much weird food yesterday), and then asked the question again. Yet again, I heard “Bob.” So then I asked why I was hearing Bob when I was asking for a Bible character. And this what I heard: my favorite Bible character is the one who followed God, who followed Jesus, and who faithfully served without being specifically named. My favorite Bible character is found in the masses. She’s the one who was part of the remnant in the Old Testament, the small group of people who never turned aside to idols. She is one of the ones in the crowds who followed Jesus wherever He went, even into the secluded places, which means she was one of the ones who sat down to eat a portion of those five loaves and two fish. She’s one of the thousands who chose to follow Jesus after hearing the sermon in Acts. She’s one of the ones who was in that home praying for Paul to be released from prison.

My favorite Bible character is the one who chose to follow Jesus right where she was. She wasn’t famous. She wasn’t popular. She was faithful. She served her God in everything, especially in the ordinary. She may have been largely unknown to man, but God saw her. And God loved her.

God sees each of us and loves each of us as well. He intimately knows each of us. Sure, we may never “make it” by the world’s standards. But when we choose to follow God right where we are, we will indeed see our name written in a book. The Book. The Book of Life that grants us entry into eternity with God. We don’t have to be popular to be faithful. We just need to serve. So I encourage you to serve the Lord faithfully today. Serve Him, seek Him, and follow Him knowing the One who sees in secret will one day reward in the open. You may not see your name in lights, but you’ll hear it. You’ll hear your Heavenly Father say, “ Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matthew 25:23).

Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.
Ecclesiastes 7:13‭-‬14 ESV

The Slinky. It’s a classic toy that’s been around for decades. It comes in numerous sizes and colors, and it is found in almost every toy section. Yet, no matter the size, the color, or the location of the slinky, one thing is certain: you cannot mess with its shape. If you straighten any coil, the slinky won’t slink. And trying to rebend a straightened coil or untangle crossed coils is all but impossible. A twisted, altered slinky is not good for anything, for the strength and usefulness of the slinky rests in its coils.

Now look at the above passage. When I read it, I thought of a slinky, for in the same way it is impossible to change a slinky without ruining the slinky, it is impossible for us to make straight what God has made crooked. We must trust that what God has made crooked He has done so for a reason. We may not like the uncertainty of the crooked ways in our lives. We may not like the jiggling that comes with such roads. Yet those crooked ways and all that jiggling, like the coils and jiggling of a slinky, are most likely the very things keeping us moving forward and getting us safely to our destination.

Our beginning, our end, and everything in between are no surprise to God. He knows the reason behind every turn and every curve. As God’s children, it is not our place to know the reason behind every twist and turn in our lives, but it is our duty to follow the lead of the One who does know.

God knows the why to it all, but all we need to know and to trust is the Who. If we know God, then we can also know that He can and will use it all–“even this”—for His good pleasure.   (I emphasize here God’s good pleasure; I didn’t say ours. What is good in God’s eyes is not always pleasing to ours.)

Therefore, I encourage you today to trust God’s sovereignty in your life. Trust His infinite wisdom. Walk each step with joy and with peace knowing that God deemed this the best way to go. No, it may not be pleasant; it may be devastating. But God can and will use it if we allow Him to.

The joy of a slinky is watching it “magically” move on its own, and the jiggling as it makes its way down the staircase actually enhances the experience. So today I pray that you may find joy in the jiggling and hope in the crooked. I pray that God will give you His supernatural peace in knowing that when you “trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding,” and,  “in all the ways acknowledge him,” then “He shall direct thy paths,” no matter how straight or how crooked those paths may be.(Proverbs 3:5‭-‬6 ESV)

“The Lord our God said to us in Horeb, ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Turn and take your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all their neighbors in the Arabah, in the hill country and in the lowland and in the Negeb and by the seacoast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates. See, I have set the land before you. Go in and take possession of the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their offspring after them.‘
Deuteronomy 1:6‭-‬8 ESV

Deuteronomy begins with an address from Moses that recounts the wilderness journey beginning at Horeb.   It was after the exodus from Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea that the Israelites initially ended up camped at Horeb near Mount Sinai; and they were at Horeb for almost a year.  During that year God met with Moses those 40 days and 40 nights, God gave the ten commandments, and God provided the instructions for and the time to build the tabernacle.  Yet Horeb was not the place God wanted the Israelites to stay; it was just one stop on the journey to the Promise Land.

In his address Moses reminds the Israelites of this when he recounts the initial part God’s instructions at Mount Sinai: You have stayed long enough at this mountain.  In other words, God began His command to leave with the reminder that Sinai was part of the plan but not the fulfillment of the promise.  They had been there long enough for God to do what needed to be done, but it was now time to move on. Yes, God had had a purpose for the pause, but it was indeed only a pause, not an end.

And this is the lesson I see for me and for all of us.  Where we are right now is where we are supposed to be right now, but there may come a time we hear God say, “You have stayed long enough on this mountain.”  A time will come when we’ve stayed long enough for God to do all His desire.  We’ve stayed long enough to gather the strength or learn the lesson or gain the knowledge.

Whatever God’s plan for us is, when we’ve stayed long enough, God will call us to leave where we are to move forward into the next thing, and regardless of our feelings toward our current situation, we must be willing to trust God when He says it’s time to move. 

Now for some of us, our current mountain may be a place we love; it may be safe, inviting, and comfortable.  Yet, although safe is nice, and although I enjoy comfort as much as the next person, if God says go, we must trust there is something else He has for us—something designed to give Him the glory He deserves.  For others our current mountain may be the place nightmares are made of–a place we’d love to leave as soon as possible.  Well, take heart, you will one day hear your Father call, “You have stayed long enough” as He leads you into the next place He has for you–another place He will use to guide you into a closer walk with Him.

God had great plans for the Israelites, and God has great plans for you, too.  Although sometimes God’s plan requires us to stay put for a while, the time will come when God has done all He wills in the spot we are in, so He’ll call us out of where we are and into where He wants us to be.  I encourage you to trust Him in this today.  Trust God has plans for you beyond what you could ever plan for yourself.  Whether His plans call you out of your comfort zone or away from your trials, you can trust Him when you hear, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Turn and take your journey…” For when God leads you out, He doesn’t leave you alone; He also whispers, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9 ESV).

“I’m not trying to turn you into me; I’m trying to turn you into you.”
–Shifu, Kung Fu Panda 3

I know, I know. I just began a devotion with a quote from a children’s movie. Yet it sums up perfectly the message I want to convey today. At the time this line is spoken in the movie, Po is trying to copy Shifu. He was assuming that to be the dragon warrior he had to mimic the one training him. But that was wrong, and Shifu told him such. To be his best, Po needed to be himself.

And the same rule applies to us and to our children. To be our best, we need to be who God designed us to be.  We are all different; none of us is the same.  None of us.  If God had wanted a bunch of cookie cutter children, He would have made us that way.  But He didn’t. He made us different. Yes, all of us are fearfully and wonderfully made in His image, yet each of us reflects that image uniquely.  Even more, each of us is uniquely designed to use our particular qualities for God’s good pleasure.

Before having my son, I was all about conformity. My daughter could have been the poster child for parenting books. She fit that mold of what I expected from my children.  But then my son came along–a little boy who has a tender heart yet who also loves to entertain and has no filter. And by no filter I mean thoughts flow from his head and out his mouth in one swift motion. Many a time I’ve wanted to hold up a sign that reads, “I did not teach him that.”

Now, I confess, I used to want to pray for him to stop his entertaining ways–to grow out of his craziness. But that prayer has changed; I now want him to grow into it. I no longer pray for my son to fit into my mold or the world’s mold; I pray for him to grow into his own–to the one God designed for him.

Read with me 2 Timothy 1:5-7:

I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.  For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Timothy grew up with two women who loved God and passed that love onto him.  Timothy caught their faith, but he did not necessarily mimic their other qualities.  Paul reminds Timothy in this passage that he must take with him what he learned from the faith of those before him as he actively fans into flame the unique gift assigned to him.

I believe instead of looking at a child’s personality as something that needs to conform, we need to look at it as something that needs to be fanned–fanned into a flame that draws others to Jesus.  As parents and teachers and influencers, we need to pass down our faith but also allow our kids to express that faith in the way God uniquely designed them to.  That child who loves to talk–who’d probably talk to the wall if given the opportunity? Let’s not force him into silence; let’s pray God uses that gift of gab to talk to others about Jesus.  God may be developing that skill so He can send that child out into the world to preach the Gospel to those who need to hear it.  That child who is constantly in motion? The one who always has to have someone or something to tap, kick, or wrestle with? Pray God uses that gift of movement to “do” for His glory. God has a plan for those constantly moving hands and feet–a plan for them to be His hands and feet.  The quiet one? The wild one? The class comedian? The sensitive one?  The one with no filter? Whatever traits that may come across now as immature, frustrating, misused, and out of place might just be the very traits God placed in that child for His eternal purpose.

So instead of dismissing and squelching those natural tendencies of our children; let’s shape them.  Let’s help that child learn how to effectively use His voice for God’s glory. Let’s help that kinesthetic child find a place to use His hands and feet in service to the King.  Let’s help that class comedian use his humor to honor the Lord and to draw others to Him. Let’s encourage that quiet one to find creative ways to express himself.  Let’s train each child to love God and love people in the unique way God designed them to.

Kids are meant to be trained, not stifled.  Forcing a child to fit a mold that was never meant for him benefits no one, especially not the child.  Of course, I must insert here that in no way am I saying to let children run free and do whatever they want–that’s crazy and detrimental to both the kids and to those around them.  Boundaries and the ability to follow instruction are necessary in all aspects of life.  And we are not to neglect teaching our children such things. What I am saying is we should ask God for the wisdom to guide each child into God’s plan for his life–God’s unique plan.  Don’t silence the talker; help him develop the skill for good.  Don’t extinguish the humor; guide it toward drawing others to Jesus.

Paul reminds us in his letter to the Corinthians of the following:

 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. (1 Corinthians 12:4-7)  

One God. One Spirit. One faith. Yet different gifts.

Therefore, I encourage you to join me today in two ways. First, let us all commit to passing on a relationship with Jesus to the next generation, for without Jesus, no child will ever reach his full potential. Second, join me in teaching the next generation that who they are is not a mistake.  Let’s teach them it’s okay to be different. Let’s demonstrate that we can all have the same faith, but we do not all have the same gifts. Let’s work together to pass on our faith while allowing God to use that faith in the way He sees fit.

We’re not all the same, but we can all be as one. So as one, let us train up our children to follow God in the unique way He designed them to follow. Let’s “train up a child in the way he should go” fully trusting that “even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. – Romans 8:28 ESV

Know what’s missing? “Our.” It is not in this passage. Not in the KJV, the ASV, and not even in the AMP. I believe the omission is intentional, for God promises to work all things for good, but he doesn’t promise to work all things for ” our” good.

Why? Because earthly good is relative. Good to my children is not necessarily good. They’d prefer no bath, no vegetables, and no bedtime. Nevertheless, to neglect baths, vegetables, and bedtime would be ultimately detrimental to them. Good to me is not always good. I’d prefer no cooking, no cleaning, and no laundry (oh, the joy of no laundry!). Nevertheless, to do none of those would result in a nasty living situation. As I work on the yearbook with students, I’ve seen a “good” page to one student appear “not good” to another.

We must remember earthly good is a matter of preference. It can change with our attitude at any given moment. Good to man is as fickle as man himself.

God’s good, on the other hand, is constant. Because He is constant. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. God’s good is always good. Always. Furthermore, God’s good is beyond our human understanding. God sees the big picture. He sees and intimately knows every heart of every person. He knows what is good for each of us and all of us at the same time.

When God promises to work all things for good, we can know it will be good. Yet we must also understand not everything we experience will feel good, look good, or seem good in the moment. Discipline doesn’t feel good. Death and sickness don’t feel good. Losses and broken relationships don’t feel good. And they may not be good in and of themselves. Yet our joy, peace, and hope can remain through it all if we remember God works through it all–if we remember God will always work things for good. Not “our” good. Good. Just good.

Thus I encourage you today to ask God for the wisdom to trust in His goodness. Are you sick? Ask Him to heal you, but yet remain joyful, confident, and at peace knowing He is working within the sickness. Are you mourning a loved one? Mourn with hope. No, you don’t need to celebrate death, but you can hope for the future. You can know God is good even in the pit of despair. Are you struggling financially, emotionally, socially? Continue to seek Him first in it all. Know He is good regardless of what circumstances you may find yourself in today. People, places, and possessions don’t make God good. God is good because God is God. And that’s it. Our opinions will never and can never change who God is.

As the saying goes, “God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.” So remember this today. Remember that God is always good and God is always working all things for good, even, and I daresay especially, the things that don’t feel like”our” good.

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:8 ESV

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6 ESV

As we walked through the produce department the other day, my son asked for a peach.  When we went over to the peaches, however, they were hard as rocks. While I don’t typically eat peaches, I do know too hard or too soft is not the way to go. Too hard indicates they are not ripe yet, and thus not very tasty nor juicy.  Too soft means they are overripe, and thus losing flavor and becoming mealy. Good peaches, on the other hand, are just right: firm, with a little give.

Since all the peaches were hard that day, we walked away without a peach, but I did not walk away without a life lesson, for as I was later reflecting on the events of the day, God reminded me of how those peaches relate to my life.

As a ripe peach is firm with a little give, so too I must live my life in obedience to God yet with grace for those around me. I must be firm in what I believe. I must not give in to every little temptation. Nevertheless, I should not be legalistic either. I must remember no one is perfect, including myself. I must cling to what is good while forgiving as I have been forgiven. I must do all things decently and in order while understanding not every situation will fit perfectly into the established order.

When it comes to being a parent and a teacher, I again must be firm with a little give. Raising a child with no standards produces a rotten peach–mushy, mealy, and not good for much, if anything. Yet raising a child without grace produces a peach too hard to penetrate. As a parent and a teacher, I cannot be afraid to teach my children to live righteously–I cannot be afraid to give them consequences for their actions—yet I also must remember that no one is perfect; sometimes a little grace goes a long way.

Living life as God intended requires balance. Therefore, I encourage you today to join me in asking God to help us be similar to a perfect peach: firm, with a little give. Join me in choosing to follow Christ’s lead and Christ’s command. Let us together commit to love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind (be firm).  And let’s love our neighbor as ourselves (with a little give). For “on these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 22:‬37-40 ESV).