We are coming up on the fourth anniversary of my Dad’s death. Although I am certainly not an expert, I want to share what I’ve read and my personal experience with grief. As I have read different articles, I have been amazed at how much of them sound familiar. My biggest takeaway is everyone’s grief journey is unique. Each loss suffered is different.

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross introduced the 5 stages of the grieving process:

1. Denial
2. Anger
3. Bargaining
4. Depression
5. Acceptance

I recognize and can relate with each stage of the grieving process. I may not have experienced them in this exact order but have processed each one multiple times. According to the dictionary, grief means deep sorrow. We know that grieving is not a quick process. Learning to practice patience towards others and especially ourselves is a must. According to the dictionary, patience means the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset. I have been told that grief is like the ocean because it comes in waves. Some waves are bigger than others, therefore require more patience.

Just as a wave is sometimes larger than we expect, often waves of grief hit from seeming nowhere. Your eye catches a photo that takes you down memory lane, the happy tears start to swell. You hear a song that reminds you of the journey, you angrily start to question God. As you cook their favorite meal, the smell overwhelms your soul, and you realize they are in a better place.

When in denial and anger, we cannot always see and understand what is in front of us. I think about the walk to Emmaus after Jesus’s crucifixion. There were two travelers, one named Cleopas. Neither of them recognized Jesus until He broke bread with them in Luke 24: 30-32 NIV — When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.

Notice they recognized Jesus at the “breaking” of the bread. Jesus meets us at our brokenness. We may not always understand the why, but we can ask God to help us accept it. Whatever grief you are experiencing; loss of a loved one or a pet, a nasty divorce or a wayward child, I pray you will allow God to be your ultimate guide through the grieving process.

Let’s pray. Dear God, help me to recognize the different stages of grief. Help me to turn to You as my tour guide. Through Your love and grace, may I receive and give patience. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭33‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Join us for See You Saturday as we talk about Julie’s word and mantra for the year.

Have you chosen a word or mantra for 2024? We would love for you to comment on YouTube or WordPress, text, or email us at waterwalkers29@gmail.com

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

I hope you have found what you are looking for by seeking God this week. Here is a recent quote from Rick Warren to end our week, “If you’re stressed, don’t seek a quick fix. Don’t look for a shortcut. Don’t fight changes that you can’t possibly control. Instead, spend time with God every day.”

The more we seek God, it becomes a habit. That habit becomes a desire as God draws us near. As you go to your places of worship this Sunday, share with God how much you desire a daily habit with Him through worship. I encourage us to sing the song, The More I Seek You by Kari Jobe. The chorus sings, “the more I seek you, the more I find you. The more I find you, the more I love you.”

Let’s pray. Dear God, the more I seek You, the more I love You. I don’t want to take any shortcuts when choosing to spend time in prayer and worship. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

‭‭‭‭Psalms‬ ‭34‬:‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

God desires for us to seek His will and bring Him glory. From an unknown Author, “What is for me, will not pass by me.” Ultimately God wants to bless us with all good things. If He orchestrated it, His will prevails. Now take a moment to read the message version of today’s verse in Psalm 34:10 — Young lions on the prowl get hungry, but God-seekers are full of God.

To be God-seekers, we should be full of God. In the song, Jesus Have It All by Jeremy Riddle he sings, “Your will is what I want.” It isn’t always easy to pray for God’s will.. When we are full of God, we get more and more hungry for Him and His will for us.

Let’s pray. Dear God, Your will is what I want. I desire to be full of Your love, to honor You and bring You glory. I desire Your goodness to follow me all the days of my life. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭33‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

What does it mean to seek to understand? It means to really listen before we form a thought, an opinion, or a response. Author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey says, “Seek first to understand, then be understood.” With this in mind, I want us to really be intentional with listening to God and those He presents in our pathways. Let’s seek God first and listen to Him before we respond. An inaction is also an action so even if we don’t verbally or physically respond, our thoughts and opinions can affect our heart posture. Let’s ask ourselves if our thoughts are Christlike.

In today’s key verse we are told that if we seek God first and all “these” things will be given to us. What are “these” things Matthew is referring to? Take a moment to read the full passage in Matthew 6:25-34 NIV. He is talking about worry. As a water walker, I encourage us to seek to understand when we are stepping out. Often we fall short with worry because we do not see the whole picture, but God does. As we step out today, let’s be kingdom seekers and seek to understand His Righteousness and all that He has to offer us outside of our boats. This leads me to my mantra for 2024, “Be a Kingdom Seeker.”

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You for the opportunity to think and understand before I respond to You and to others through my thoughts, responses, and actions. Lead me deeper in my Christian faith by being a Kingdom Seeker. Help me to step out of my boat when you present an opportunity. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. 

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭27‬:‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.

The dictionary defines tranquility as “the quality or state of being tranquil; calm.” Let’s Face it, everyday life is full of distractions, busy work, and often chaos. For our sanity, it is important to find moments in our day to seek God and dwell in His presence. If not already in place, it should be a goal for us to have a place where we can find tranquility and peace. A place where we can feel safe to seek and worship God. 

In our verse from Psalms, it says to seek Him in His temple. This could be our church, in our quiet places at home, and even in our service. God is omniscient and His peace surrounds us always.

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You that I can seek You and Your peace everywhere and always, forever and ever. Help me to offer Your peace to others in my everyday life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Bonus: When you have about 16 minutes in your day, I encourage you to watch and listen to, “You Will Seek Me and Find Me” by Grace For Purpose Prayers.

1 Chronicles‬ ‭16‬:‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬ — Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!

God has blessed me with many conformations for my word of the year over the last few months. I will be sharing these confirmations all week. I was reminded of an acronym I created earlier in the year on the word “strength” in which I start off with, “seek,” which is my word of the year for 2024.

Seek

To

Reveal

Every

New

Gift

Through

Him

In addition to our key verse, we find a similar passage in Psalm 105:4 NIV — Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.

These verses tell us to look to the Lord for strength. If we look to seek God’s face and bring Him glory in all that we do, we will find all the strength we need. Where are you looking for strength? For me, it is in the gift of His presence, God Winks and the gifts each new day brings. Gifts come in many different forms. Just to name a few, this could be a text from a friend, a beautiful sunset, or completing a hard task. Of course, the most important gift is our relationship with Christ Jesus. As we look ahead to this week, and this year’s schedule, let’s seek God for His strength.

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You for the many gifts You reveal to me. Help me to seek You as the source for my strength. I surrender this week’s and this year’s schedule over to You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.