Today’s post is a rare one, because I’m sharing a video clip that I prepared to announce something exciting that’s coming to the blog. Subscribers, please don’t panic. The regular written posts will return in June. This form of communication will be few and far between!
Please note: The blog will be “offline” next week while we make the final preparations for this new online feature!
Click the photo below to view the video.
Please click on this photo to view the announcement video!
Achieving the rank and position of captain (or “pilot in command”) is the goal of nearly every airline pilot. By law and tradition, the captain is the sole and final authority for the safety of lives and the conduct of the flight. It is a responsibility and trust that the captain does not take lightly, but soberly and thoughtfully. Several years of training, flying hours, and experience—along with attaining the Airline Transport Pilot Certificate—are necessary for the upgrade to “captain” status.
Even after all of this, the first flight (with passengers) as pilot in command is still observed (and graded) by a “line-check captain.” Well into my captaincy, while driving home from the airport, I would still personally review each flight by thinking through what I had done, what I needed to do better, and yes, what I would not do again.
What attitudes should we have as Christians for achieving and maintaining “spiritual captaincy” in the various jobs, careers, and vocations to which God has called us?
First, we should strive to have a God-given love—a passion, if you will—for our work. For me, flying was fascinating. (See Proverbs 30:18–19.) Perhaps you are not passionate about your line of work. Ask God to show you an aspect or outcome of your work that you can love.
Next, we should accomplish our work with a God-honoring effort. (See Romans 12:11.) We should not give our second-best work. Successful work takes time, effort, and, often, additional study.
Finally, we should have a God-glorifying performance as our goal. (See 1 Corinthians 10:31.)
These three attitudes—a God-given passion for your work, a God-honoring effort for your work, and a God-glorifying performance of your work—can apply to whatever job, career, or vocation God calls you to do.
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13, NKJV).
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Perfect for graduation gifts and Father’s Day, The Captain’s Corner: A 21-Day Devotional Book, is available on Amazon. Click here to learn more about the book and to order your copies.
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You wake up, take a minute (or twenty) to freshen up and quickly dress in that day’s attire, and head to the kitchen either to eat breakfast or to prepare it for yourself and others. Waking up isn’t easy today, because you stayed up late last night to watch a movie that a friend recommended.
Then it happens. You walk into the kitchen and see the dirty dishes (though neatly stacked in the sink), the pile of yesterday’s mail on the table, and the empty bag from the popcorn you made to eat while you watched the movie last night. Before you can even think about what to eat (or serve) for breakfast, you have to at least get the table cleared off.
Some of you are totally relating to that scenario and thinking it sounds quite awesome, because I didn’t include the kids’ backpacks strewn everywhere, the unfinished homework buried under toys and snack wrappers, or the bag of pet food that was now on the floor, having been tipped over by the toddler who had decided to ride her Big Wheel tricycle in the kitchen!
I realize that I am writing from the viewpoint of one whose husband is retired, who has no children living in the home (especially not under the age of ten), and who has a home that allows for plenty of storage and extra space. However, the quick, not-original-with-me tip I’m about to share is something that anyone can do—whether you live alone, are retired, or have a whole passel of children down the hall. Honest.
So here it is:
The best gift that I give to myself each morning is to take five minutes the night before (yes, literally five minutes) to set the table for breakfast. It’s such a huge day-maker for me that it is no longer an option as to whether or not I’m going to do it. When I walk into the kitchen first thing in the morning, I smile. I promise you—I truly stop and smile! I did this as a single woman; I do it now as a married woman; and I do it when we have a house filled with guests.
I mean, seriously. How awesome is it to walk in and already have a task done? How much easier is the start to the day when you don’t have to take time to clear, set, and prepare the table?
No spouse in your house? You are worthy of a pretty table, just like your married friends are. So treat yourself to a first-thing-in-the-morning boost by setting the table for yourself and not eating on the run! Soak in the beauty of the day, the aroma of the coffee, the flavor in your food—even if it is “grab-and-go!”
Mamas, you are amazing. You know I think that, because I tell you that often. But get those little darlin’s helping you. Make it part of the bedtime routine for the kids to help clear and set the table. It should honestly take about five minutes—no more. (Set the timer for five minutes and see if I’m telling the truth!) You may need to remind yourself of these things:
It doesn’t have to be perfect. Let them do it in their own age-appropriate way.Now, sweet faith friend, don’t roll your eyes at me and call me idealistic. It can happen. My mama did it often when there were six of us living in the house. Joe and I do it daily at this stage in our lives. Try it, will you? Do it not less than three nights in a row and then feel free to stop back by this post and let me know if it’s working for you!
Oh, and yes—I took these pictures in my kitchen first thing this morning…and then decided to write this post! (i.e., This was not “staged” for this post!)
“Serve God by doing common actions in a heavenly spirit,
and then, if your daily calling only leaves you cracks and crevices of time,
fill them up with holy service.” —Charles Spurgeon
About a week after unexpectedly losing my job, I realized that I would have to upgrade my computer programs to enable me to prepare an updated resume and to begin the writing I felt compelled to do. However, funds were low—to say the least—and I had no guarantee of making any more money in the near future. This was not a frivolous desire. It was a need—no, it was a necessity. I prayed. Fervently—with sincere faith that God would answer.
And here’s what my God did—just because He can:
That very afternoon I went to my mailbox and found a sweet card with a check enclosed. The senders stated that they knew I might have expenses during this time that I couldn’t meet, and they hoped this check would help.
It was the exact amount that I needed for the software upgrade! The. Exact. Amount.
Yes, I was reminded that God answers prayer. But more than that, I was reminded that God didn’t answer my prayer that day. He had actually answered it several days before, because my friends had mailed the check four days prior to my receiving it!
God reiterates this promise from Isaiah in Matthew 6:8 (KJV): “For your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.”
So ask Him!
Isaiah 65:24, KJV:
“And it shall come to pass, that before they call,
I will answer;
and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.”
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This post was taken from a daily devotional reading found on “May 2” in our book, Petals of Promises: 365 Daily Devotionals for Women. Click here to learn more about this book. (It would make a GREAT graduation gift!)
“Some people take longer to grieve than others.” Over the past twenty months (since Joe and I were married), I have heard this truth spoken on numerous occasions. Notice: it is a truth—a truth that I not only believe and defend but a truth that both encompasses and ignites a multitude of actions and reactions.
I have been the recipient of the words, and I have been the originator of the words.
I have been comforted by the graciousness that accompanied them, and, at times, I have found the pointed anger behind them to be offensive.
On two different occasions, Joe and I recently shared our “story” with someone, recalling God’s leading us together—much to our surprise and in a timing and way directed by God—following the death of his first wife. In both cases, their response to our joy surprised us: “We were very upset when one of our parents chose to remarry a few years following the death of the spouse. [Specifics withheld for obvious reasons.] After all, it just takes some people longer to grieve than others, and we are still grieving.”
That’s when the reality of what I already knew and believed hit me as if for the first time: it doesn’t have to be one or the other. Grief and joy can peacefully coexist. The depth, duration, demonstration, and dynamics of both will vary between individuals. However, it is never beneficial to attempt a comparison based on your own experience, because grief and joy are like snowflakes: never the same twice, yet able to join together to create a beauty designed by God.
To imply—via a reply—that joy is absent because grief is still present seems to indicate that it’s “all or nothin’.”
We have faced those who even after twenty months are, quite honestly, unkind and unwelcoming to me as Joe’s “new” spouse—some to the point of not speaking to me or of not participating in events because I would be there. Yes. That is truth. No. I do not share this in anger. I share it, after many months of prayer over this post (and with Joe’s approval), hoping that others will not have to walk this path when faced with the already difficult (but exciting) path of being a “second spouse.”
In the midst of a tear-filled phone call one day when I could contain the hurt no longer, one of my sisters wisely shared with me that those individuals most likely feel that to love me would be to betray their friend Betty (Joe’s late wife). Yet, she was my friend also. To hurt me is not to love Betty more; it is to betray the very principles of godliness and graciousness that she desired to live out during her time on earth. It is to betray her love for me as her friend and for Joe as the man to whom she pledged her love and trust for all the days of her life. It is to deny Joe and me the peaceful coexistence of grief and joy that we both feel—for numerous individuals.
There is room to love while feeling the very real and ever-present grief of loss.
When’s Joe’s precious daughter welcomes me into the family with kindness and love, it is not because I have “replaced” her mom or even her love for her mom. It is because she allows grief and joy to coexist. (And I love her bunches for this godly response!)
Christ wept over the loss of His dear friend (see John 11:35). His grief was real, public, and heartfelt. But it contained hope. And hope produces joy.
Our joy as a couple does not eliminate memories of great times. It does not alter or negate the existence of the past. It does, however, allow us to move forward. And in moving forward, we find comfort in the truths of Psalm 30:11–12 (ESV):
“You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!”
I don’t know what or whom you are grieving today. You may grieve for many years to come. Go ahead and grieve. Grieve privately while pouring out your heart to God. Grieve publicly—not for personal attention but for the purpose of allowing others to help bear your burden. But in the midst of your grief, keep moving forward. Seek others you can care about, comfort, encourage, and love.
Focus on the joy that God longs for you to experience as evidence of His grace.
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