On the Sea in the Fourth Watch of the Night

I’ve been thinking about the sea, not only because I’ve been looking forward to an outing to our favorite beach, but because I’ve been thinking about a story that shows up in Matthew and Mark, where Jesus sends his disciples out on the sea in a boat without him. And they end up stuck in a storm far out at sea.

Is there an area of your life that feels like a storm you are stuck in, and it has been continuing a while?

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Give Yourself Grace

If you’re going through a hard season, give yourself grace! We need rest and to take care of ourselves, and not push ourselves.

As we receive grace from God, and give ourselves grace, we are more able to extend grace to the other people in our lives.

This word, “grace,” has been on my mind. But what does it look like in my practical, lived-out life?

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Borrowed Righteousness

December mornings are one of my favorite things. I slip downstairs while it’s still quiet, turn on the white tree lights (our tree has the option of white and colored lights, so all of our family members are happy!), make a cup of coffee, and sneak in a few minutes reading the Word as I sit in a chair by the tree.

I’m reading Proverbs. As I get into chapters ten and eleven, Solomon keeps referring to “the righteous.”

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A Season of Suffering

There is something about the fall that always speaks to me of suffering, of surrender and letting go. Yes, the leaves are gorgeous! But I sense a hint of sadness as the trees say goodbye to summer and become barren. Yet, God moves creation through this season every year.

Like the rest of creation, we move through seasons of suffering in our lives. These seasons can be discouraging and confusing. How can we make sense of this? How can we go through these seasons well? In ways that grow our relationship with Jesus?

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