Have you seen them? The memes about toilet paper hoarding, about the quarantine being every introvert’s dream? As a homeschool mom, my favourite meme is the one where Oprah is saying “You get to homeschool! And you get to homeschool! And everyone gets to homeschool!”. Can you imagine it? Ha! It gets me every time. All jokes aside, the world is in a weird place right now. Everything seems so uncertain. This will truly be a generational marker. You may find yourself feeling fearful, panicked or drowning in the noise of social media, the news, or your own worried and anxious thoughts. Stop – take a moment, and breath.
Inhale.... Exhale.
In the midst of chaos, let’s turn our eyes to the promises of God.
Take a moment to read Psalm 23 – let each word soak in:
The Lord is my shepherd, I have what I need.
He lets me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He renews my life; He leads me along the right paths
For his name’s sake.
Even when I go through the darkest valley,
I fear no danger, for you are with me;
your rod and staff – they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me, In the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me
all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
as long as I live.
This passage is a beautiful reminder of God’s love and faithfulness. We are yet again reminded that in the highs and the lows, He is our protector and provider. This hasn’t changed and will never change. But here is the most important reminder. What can change is our response. Will we choose to keep our eyes focused on King Jesus or shift our gaze to the uncertainty of the world? We have a choice. In his book “Life Without Lack: Living in the Fullness of Psalm 21” Dallas Willard writes, “ ... when it comes to experiencing the sufficiency of God, we are not talking about what God can do; we are talking about what we need to do. And what we need to do is to turn our minds to God.”
This is my encouragement to you. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. Use this time as a gift, a gift to deepen your love with Him. Here are three things you can do this week to deepen your walk with God:
1. Prayer journal – if you know anything about me, I advocate writing down your prayers all the time. You know why? Human beings are horribly forgetful. Prayer journaling allows you to look back and be reminded of God’s unrelenting faithfulness.
2. Practice silence – take time everyday to put your phone in a drawer, turn everything off, sit undistracted, in silence. Listen to the Holy Spirit. Meditate on Psalm 23... don’t let distractions sabotage a sweet moment with the Holy Spirit.
3. Practice gratitude – did you know that when you practice gratitude, something literally shifts in your brain? Dopamine and serotonin are released! What a great gift from our Creator! Take 15 minutes and let God know all that you are thankful for!
Remember to love deeply, worship fervently, and keep your eyes fixed on Jesus.
With Love,
-Meg