Tag: faith

Christian

Why Do Christians Drift Away?

Cindy Dawson

While at the beach one summer, my two sons insisted on renting a small boat. They were told to stay close, but eventually they began to drift. We started yelling at them and waving our arms, but they didn’t see us and kept drifting farther and farther away, unaware.

That’s the bad thing about drifting, you can end up far from where you started and unaware of how far you’ve drifted.

“… we must pay much closer attention than ever to the things that we have heard, so that we do not [in any way] drift away from truth.” Hebrews 2:1 AMP

Today we have the entire Bible to keep us on course, but do we neglect it? C.S. Lewis said,

As a matter of fact, if you examined a hundred people who had lost their faith in Christianity, I wonder how many of them would turn out to have been reasoned out of it by honest argument? Do not most people simply drift away?”

Mere christianity

We can so easily drift away from God and toward the ways of the world: thinking like the world, acting like the world, even speaking like the world. How? Compromise, open-mindedness, tolerance for what is evil in the eyes of the Lord, the desire to fit in.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2 NIV

Thinking back on my past, I can see how drifting away from God was a result of drifting farther and farther away from God’s Word. Drifting happens so easily, not because of anything we do, as much as what we don’t do. We neglect Bible study, neglect church fellowship, neglect worship, neglect prayer.

My boys finally saw us waving wildly and came back in, but others have not been so lucky.

In his article, 9 Fortunate Souls Who Survived Being Lost at Sea, Avery Thompson said this,

“The sea is like a wet desert. There’s no food. There’s no shelter. Nothing to drink. In every direction, the view is the same: nothing. Plus, dangerous predators lurk just beneath the depths.  A shipwreck out on the open ocean can be a death sentence. If rescue doesn’t come in the first 48 hours, it probably never will.”

We can compare this to drifting spiritually. No spiritual food to eat, no living water to drink, demons lurking just beneath …

That’s why the writer of Hebrews says, “we must pay much closer attention than ever to the things that we have heard“. We must be reading our Bible and renewing our minds. These words are as true today as they were when first written.

The worse thing about being a drifter is that you probably won’t even notice what you’ve become or how far you have drifted. So in this time, as in the first century, Christians “must pay much closer attention than ever.”

Are you paying attention?

Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

RealChristianWomen.blog  

Christian

Why Should I Memorize Scripture?

Cindy Dawson

Memorizing Scripture may have more benefits than you think!

It renews your mind, enabling you to know God’s will.

Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (NIV)

I had never connected this verse to memorizing Scripture until now. But, how better to renew our mind than by memorizing Scripture! That is filling our mind with God’s Word, not something we read once, but something we know by heart! Reading the Bible is important, but memorizing Scripture is important, too!

The Holy Spirit will bring to your remembrance the Scripture you need at a particular time.

Dallas Willard, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Southern California wrote,

“Bible memorization is absolutely fundamental to spiritual formation. If I had to choose between all the disciplines of the spiritual life, I would choose Bible memorization, because it is a fundamental way of filling our minds with what it needs.“

For example, when people have hurt my feelings by what they said or what they did, the Holy Spirit has brought to my remembrance a verse memorized long ago.

 “A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.” Proverbs 19:11 NIV*

it has practical advantages

Chuck Swindoll stated, “I know of no other single practice in the Christian life more rewarding, practically speaking, than memorizing Scripture. . . . No other single exercise pays greater spiritual dividends!”

Do you ever have trouble going to sleep because you can’t quiet your mind, and you can’t stop thinking about all you have to do? I still remember the 23rd Psalm from memorizing it in childhood, 60 years ago! Sometimes, when I can’t sleep, I recite it and meditate on the verses. Nothing is more calming and quiets your mind like reciting and meditating on the 23rd Psalm. I bet many of you learned it as a child, too.

Sometimes the KJV is easier to learn and easier to remember, too. I was just trying to remember Psalm 119:105 and realized that I remember it in the KJV, but not in the NIV. As soon as I said, “Thy word”, it all came back to me!

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105 KJV

Another Scripture I rely on when I’m worried or afraid is Psalm 91. (It really isn’t that hard to memorize!)

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.”

3 Surely he will save you
    from the fowler’s snare
    and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
    nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
    and see the punishment of the wicked.

9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
    and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
    no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
    you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
    and show him my salvation.” Psalm 91 NIV (1984 edition)

My Top 5 Tips for Memorizing Scripture

  1. Write it and doodle while you repeat it out loud several times. (I like this idea!)
  2. Learn one verse, and then add another verse to it. Keep adding on one more verse. Always go back to the beginning and recite everything you have learned so far. You can learn long passages this way. (This is how I memorized Psalm 91.)
  3. Play a memory game. Using dry-erase markers, write the verse on a dry-erase board. Read the verse a few times, then erase 2 words at a time. Keep saying the verse until all the words are erased. 
  4. Go for a walk and recite all the verses you have learned so far.
  5. Make the wallpaper on your phone the verse you are learning.

Well, I hope you’ve been motivated to start memorizing. I know I have!

Some passages to memorize:

  • Philippians 4:6-8
  • John 7:37-38
  • John 8:31
  • Romans 10:9-11
  • Psalm 56:3-4
  • Psalm 86:11

Do you have any memorization tips?

What passages do you recommend memorizing? Please share!

With Love, 

AA55AA1F-EA36-49A9-92BE-41FD67348618

This Is My Journey Unscripted.

Do you want to become a Christian? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?

realchristianwomen.blog  

Photo by Jenny Smith on Unsplash

*Some NIV references are from the 1985 edition and may read a little differently than the latest NIV edition.

Christian

Do Christians Today Have Idols?

Cindy Dawson

As I read through 1 Kings, I was stunned when I read these words about King Solomon:

 “As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been.  He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done.” 1 Kings 11: 3-6

Notice that Solomon started doing what “everyone else” was doing. He probably thought, “All the kings have lots of wives and concubines. All the kings have idols. I’m just doing what all the kings do. Things are different now from when my father was king.”

We can do the same thing today by accepting what the world puts forth as truth rather than holding on to God’s Word, which is the real Truth.

Ashtoreth was the pagan goddess of war and sexual love. How is that any different from the sexual freedom found in today’s world?

Molek was an Ammonite god who required propitiatory child sacrifice. A couple sacrificed their firstborn by burning the child on a metal idol of Molech, believing that Molech would ensure financial prosperity for the family and future children. (Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) How is that any different from the abortion industry, which is really all about money, not women’s rights?

Idolatry connotes the worship of something or someone other than God as if it were God.

So what do we worship as if it were God? It doesn’t have to be a pagan statue. The Apostle Paul tells us more.

“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.” Colossians 3:5-6

Here the Apostle Paul plainly states that idolatry doesn’t only refer to a golden calf.

“Idolatry starts in the heart: craving, wanting, enjoying, being satisfied by anything that you treasure more than God. That is an idol. If we find God to be so boring or so negligible that we must put other things in his place that really satisfy us more than he does, then we not only offend him, but we also destroy ourselves.” John Piper

“They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones.  In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.” Romans 1:25-27

“Since the fall, the hearts of humans have been inclined toward idolatry” Dr. Jeff Reynolds

Things like a job, money, a car, or any number of created things could become an idol. But don’t let the devil condemn you, saying this is your idol and that is your idol. Ask the Lord with a sincere heart to show you if you have any idols. The Holy Spirit will bring conviction, but not condemnation. Conviction makes you want to change, but condemnation makes you want to give up.

“Yet I am glad now, not because you were pained, but because you were pained into repentance [and so turned back to God]; for you felt a grief such as God meant you to feel . . . For godly grief and the pain God is permitted to direct, produce a repentance that leads and contributes to salvation and deliverance from evil, and it never brings regret;” 2 Corinthians 7:9-10 AMP

With Love, 

AA55AA1F-EA36-49A9-92BE-41FD67348618

This Is My Journey Unscripted.

Do you want to become a Christian? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?

realchristianwomen.blog  

Christian

We Are The Temple of God

Cindy Dawson

We don’t have to visit a temple made by man to be in the presence of God, as the Israelites did. As a Christ Follower, we are the temple of God and He dwells within us. Isn’t that an amazing thought? As I read about the building of the Temple, I was struck by the great wealth and incredible planning that went into it. It took Solomon seven years to build the temple. (See 1 Kings 5-8)

Solomon used 8,100,187.5 pounds of gold and 76,275,000 pounds of silver. The gold and silver alone was worth $216,603,576,000. This does not include all the precious metals, bronze, iron, ivory, or cedar wood used in the temple. Extrapolating from the number, the total cost of Solomon’s temple including the labor costs (153,000 forced laborers) would have been well over half a billion dollars! Pure gold was everywhere! Even the wick trimmers were made of pure gold! No detail was overlooked.

The Living God doesn’t live in a building. If you are a Christ Follower, He is literally living in your body! Take a moment to let that soak in.

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;  you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NIV

You may think the temple that Solomon built came at an incredible price, and it did. But God purchased you at an even greater cost, the precious, priceless blood of Jesus Christ. So what does that mean to us today?

We must recognize that we are the temple of God and that we belong to God. He has a plan for us. We have been commissioned to go out and make disciples. We are to love the Lord our God with all of our heart and love our neighbor as ourselves. This is obedience to the One who owns us, to love one another. We must examine ourselves to see if we are honoring the price He paid.

Just as the Lord paid careful attention to how His people treated His temple, so He takes note of the choices we make, our priorities, and the directions we pursue. Our bodies are no longer “our own” because we no longer belong to ourselves but wholly and completely to God. This is the single most important truth about our lives.”

dr. David Jeremiah

“. . . the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27 NIV

“Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you.” 2 Timothy 1:14 NLT

“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.  I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,  so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” Ephesians 3: 14-17 NIV

We may look around at our world and blame our problems on the culture, drugs, TV, violent video games, and any number of evils in the world. But we must remember that revival doesn’t start in the world, it starts in the hearts of God’s people, the Church.

What would happen in our world today if all Christ followers in this generation chose to be Christ-centered instead of self-centered?

With Love, 

Cindy

This Is My Journey Unscripted.

Do you want to become a Christian? Click this link to learn more: WHO IS JESUS?

SOURCES:

Jeremiah Study Bible

Photos by Center for Online Judaic Studies

Rdchamberlain.com (cost of temple)

Christian

My Bible, My Life

Cindy Dawson

Thy Word

Thy Word I love, O Lord. 
Tis my greatest delight.  
Early I rise to seek you 
And wait for the morning light. 

Thy Word I receive, O Lord.
Tis my daily bread.  
It feeds my broken heart  
And prepares for the day ahead.  

Thy Word I will keep, O Lord.
Tis my strength for each day,   
You are the solid rock.
I will follow all your ways.  
  
Thy Word I need, O Lord.
Tis the joy of my heart. 
You draw me closer to You, 
To teach and Thy Truth to impart .  

I give thanks for this wonderful gift.
More precious than silver and gold
A treasure of promise and love, 
My Bible, whose worth is untold.

How shall I know my own heart, if I do not read God’s Word?

“For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. . . . exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 AMP

How shall I learn, if I do not read God’s Word?

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,  so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV

“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Romans 15:4 ESV

How shall I have faith, if I do not read God’s Word?

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17 ESV

How shall I be obedient, if I do not read God’s Word?

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.” Joshua 1:8 ESV

How shall I find my way, if I do not read God’s Word?

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105 ESV

How shall I fight the devil, if I do not read God’s Word?

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.  And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”  But he answered, “It is written . . . Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:1-4 ESV

How shall I keep myself from sin, if I do not read God’s Word?

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:11

How shall I have peace, if I do not read God’s Word?

“Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.” Psalm 119:165

My Prayer

Lord, Give us a love for your Word. May we hunger for it more every day, that we may serve our family and answer our calling in truth and love.

“I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.” Psalm 119:16

With Love, 

Cindy

Click this link to learn more about Jesus: WHO IS JESUS?

This Is My Journey Unscripted.

realchristianwomen.blog  

Photo by Rachel Lynette French on Unsplash

Christian

Hope For My Friend

Cindy Dawson 
My heart is overwhelmed with sorrow.
My hope is fading away.
No rainbows are coming tomorrow.
Only storms are coming my way.

Jesus, carry my burden.
It is much too heavy for me.
But your Word, O Lord, is certain.
With faith, please help me to see.

Thank you for what you are doing,
The works that I can not see.
For if I could see and know them, 
I would think it was done by me.

Only You shall receive the glory
And that is how it should be.
You alone are able
All glory I give to thee.

“Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.” Psalm 9:10 NIV

With Love, 

AA55AA1F-EA36-49A9-92BE-41FD67348618

This Is My Journey Unscripted.

realchristianwomen.blog  

Click this link to learn more about Jesus: Who Is Jesus?

Christian

The Holy Spirit, Our Helper

Cindy Dawson

I went to my office, laid my head down on my Bible and sighed in defeat, “Lord, I don’t know what to do.” As soon as the words slipped from my mouth, I remembered something that I had read earlier in the day.

When King Jehoshaphat was warned that a vast army was coming against him, he was alarmed and resolved to inquire of the Lord. He called a fast for all of Judah and the people came together to seek God.

King Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly and cried out to God in prayer. He ends the prayer with these words:

“We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you!” 2 Chronicles 20:12 NIV

I quickly found the passage in my Bible and read it over and over. God was telling me what to do: Keep my eyes on Him! I can do that! Immediately my anxiety melted away. My fear disappeared and I felt the comfort only God can provide.

I also remembered, “And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus” Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV

“I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
    With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” Psalm 16:8 NIV

What does it mean to keep your eyes on the Lord? Here are some thoughts.

  1. Acknowledge that you can’t fix this in your own strength. Jehoshaphat knew that he was in for a battle that he was not strong enough to win and he didn’t know what to do. The enemy was getting closer every minute.
  2. When we realize that it isn’t within our own ability to fix the problem, only then can we really depend completely on the Lord.
  3. These kinds of opportunities will stretch our faith and bring us closer to God.

You might be wondering what happened to King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah when they fixed their eyes on the Lord instead of the problem.

This is what the Lord said, “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. (v15) Stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you. . . Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged.”(v17)

“Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord. . .Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord . . . ‘Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.’ As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.” (v18&21)

Take away: They depended completely on the Lord. They worshipped Him. They thanked Him. They praised Him. The Lord threw their enemies into confusion and they were defeated.

Read more about Jehoshaphat’s battle here. (2 Chronicles 20:1-30)

When our battle is too hard, let us fix our eyes on Jesus. Let us worship His holiness, thank Him, praise Him, and give Him glory. When you read God’s Word, God Himself will teach you and encourage you because He says,

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,  so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17

“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” John 14:26 NIV

Thank you for letting me share my journey with you, today. Comments are welcomed and appreciated.

With Love, 

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This Is My Journey Unscripted.

Click this link to learn more about Jesus: Who Is Jesus?

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

realchristianwomen.blog  

Christian

Where Is Your Treasure?

Cindy Dawson

Are we me-centric or Christ-centric? In other words, does what I believe about God focus on what’s in it for me, or does it focus on Christ?

From Genesis to Revelation, everything in the Bible points to Christ and God’s plan to bring salvation to a lost and dying world. The Bible teaches us to die to our old self and become a new creation. 2 Corinthians 5:15 says,

“He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”

The more I study the Bible, the more I see that it isn’t about how God will make us rich, happy and without hardship in this life, for this life is just a whisper. It’s about our life to come, with Jesus in Heaven. In this life, we should strive to be more like Jesus, love God with all our heart, and love our neighbor as ourself.

It’s easy to get caught up in teaching that is all about this life and finding fulfillment and happiness in the here and now. After all, that’s what people want to hear. It’s very appealing and draws huge crowds. But is that what Jesus taught? In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus told the crowds,

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

This changes our focus from this present life to the life that is to come, with Christ in Heaven. We must ask ourselves this question, “Where is my treasure?”

With Love, 

AA55AA1F-EA36-49A9-92BE-41FD67348618

This Is My Journey Unscripted.

Click this link to learn more about Jesus: Who Is Jesus?

Photo by Dmitry Moraine on Unsplash

realchristianwomen.blog  

Christian

Our Unique Generation

Cindy Dawson

If I compare myself to the Apostle Paul, Joseph in the Old Testament, Corrie ten Boom, or any number of other saints who did great things in their generation, I find myself seriously lacking in many areas. I just don’t measure up. But God had a plan for these people in their generation.

The Bible says, “After David had done the will of God in his own generation, he died and was buried with his ancestors…” (Acts 13:36) God had a plan for David that was specific to the generation in which he lived. I believe He has a plan for us in this specific time period.

I don’t live in the same generation as the Apostle Paul, therefore I am not confronted with shipwrecks, angry crowds, horrific prisons, or the prospect of being stoned.

I don’t live in the same generation as Joseph so I don’t have to worry about being sold as a slave, thrown in a dungeon, or having all my brothers hate me. We know that Joseph became ruler over all of Egypt and was highly honored. But …

“In time, Joseph and all of his brothers died, ending that entire generation.” Exodus 1:6

And did things change! The new king didn’t know Joseph and he feared the Israelites, so he made them all slaves. They were mistreated and abused.

My favorite heroine is Corrie ten Boom. She lived during the Nazi invasion of Holland. She and her father and her sister hid Jews in their home during the Holocaust. They were eventually discovered and all three were sent to Ravensbruck Concentration Camp. Her father and sister died there. Corrie was eventually released due to an admistrative error.

I don’t live in the same generation as Corrie ten Boom, so I don’t have to face the horrors of the Holocaust.

When Esther was selected to be the Queen, her cousin, Mordecai said, “And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14)

It makes me ponder the question, “What is God calling me to do in my generation?”

This generation is as unique as the generations described above. We have problems that are different than any seen before. School shootings, pressure to conform to the world and its unbiblical views, world starvation, false teachers, teen suicide. The list goes on.

In this unique time, what is God calling us to do?

  • Tell others about Jesus and the Gospel.
  • Share our story.
  • Love others.
  • Read and study the Word of God so that we won’t be seduced by error.
  • Love the Lord.
  • Pray about everything.
  • Forgive others.
  • Love more.

As we become mature in the faith, perhaps God will call us to do something we can’t imagine having the strength to do right now. (Consider how God prepared Joseph to lead Egypt.) But for now, we know exactly what He is calling us to do.

What would you add to this list? Share your thoughts.

P.S. If you haven’t read it, be sure to read The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom.

With Love, 

Cindy

This Is My Journey Unscripted.

Click this link to learn more about Jesus: Who Is Jesus?

All Scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted.

Photo by Unsplash

realchristianwomen.blog 

Christian

Be Still and Know That I Am God

Cindy Dawson

(Although it didn’t make my Top Ten, this is one of my favorite blogs from last year. I hope you like it, too!)

I’m a To-Do List,  planner, scheduled-day kind of person. I didn’t realize how much until recently.

It was early in the morning, about 6:00, when I let my dog, Bella, out the back door. Sunny skies, a gentle breeze, and the sweet sound of birds singing greeted me. I sat down on my little black bench to enjoy it for a minute.

I already had coffee in hand, so I drank it outside instead of hurrying into my office. Suddenly, a hummingbird darted past and paused to drink from the bright pink Hibiscus bloom peaking out from my neighbor’s balcony.

A baby bunny hopped out of the cornfield and looked around. A striking red cardinal flew to my bird feeder and looked me right in the eye. “Are you going to put any seed in this feeder or what?” he seemed to say.

A bright yellow Monarch fluttered by. It was like God had orchestrated his creation to entertain me. I couldn’t leave my seat.

After a while, this Scripture came to me, “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

I sat peacefully, obediently, enjoying the beauty right outside my door. My brain stopped buzzing around like it was on fire.

Then, God reminded me that His plan is never what a person thinks it will be. Abraham didn’t know that Sarah would give him a son in her old age. Jacob didn’t know he would have to work twenty years for Laban before he could leave with Rachel. And Joseph could never imagined that God’s plan would land him in prison. But all these things were part of God’s plan!

If these men of God were like me, they would have been thinking that it was all their fault that things were working out so badly. But God’s will was being accomplished through ordinary, imperfect men – in spite of their flaws.

I learned something important that day. Sometimes I just need to slow down, quiet my brain, and observe God’s creation. It reminds me that He is God. And I might hear that still, small voice.

“And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” 1 Kings 19: 11-12 KJV

With Love, 

Cindy

This is My Journey Unscripted.

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