Let’s start Monday off with laughter. We have heard that laughter is the best medicine for the soul. From Walt Disney, “Laughter is timeless. Imagination has no age. And dreams are never forgotten.” As we learned yesterday with the five stages of grief, life is too short. We must choose to cherish the opportunities to laugh. As we go into 2024, I encourage us all to do the following:

• Stress less with Matthew 6:34 NIV — Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
• Surrender more with Proverbs 16:3 NIV — Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.
• Give thanks always with 1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV — Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
• Love myself more with Mark 12:31 NIV — The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.
• Build a healthy tribe with Proverbs 27:17 NIV — As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
• Rest well with Psalm 46:10 NIV — He says, Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.
• Find Joy in the Journey with Nehemiah 8:10 NIV — Nehemiah said, Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You for opportunities to find joy and share laughter with others. Help me to cherish every moment and live for today. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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.

Join us as we end our week by talking about taking time to pause and light the candle.

The point is, Before you trust, you have to listen. But unless Christ’s Word is preached, there’s nothing to listen to. – Romans 10:17 MSG

A new calendar year presents a blank slate of the next 12 months and an opportunity to create goals. Such is the case each year when Deborah, Julie and I each select a word of the year.

Last year my word was “prayer” as I wanted to be more intentional about my daily prayer schedule. Establishing set times during the day to stop and pray was something that, surprisingly, quickly became a beneficial habit.

While praying more often and offering thanks for my many blessings was needed, it became evident there was a problem: I was doing all the talking. What I need to do more of is “listen,” which is my word for 2024.

God speaks to us through His holy word in the Bible. Also, our prayers are conversations with God. If we are quiet and listen, God will give us the true direction we desperately need in this world filled with road blocks and dead ends.

Have you chosen a word for 2024? Do you have a mantra or quote that you want to shape your days? It’s not too late. We would love to hear from you about what God has laid on your heart.

A prayer for today: Loving Heavenly Father, thank You for the blessings You provide. Please forgive us of our sins and help us be reflections of Your love. Please help us hear Your voice, and obey. In Jesus’ precious name, amen.

Isaiah 26:12 NIV — Lord, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us.

Sometimes a forced pause is just what we need. A couple days after Christmas my family all became sick with the flu. For the first couple days I stood strong, running around from person to person to be sure they were cared for properly. Then, out of the blue, the flu hit me too. For the next three days I rarely left my bed. The first day, when my fever was the highest, I mostly slept off and on. The following two days I spent time watching lots of TV, napping, and sipping hot tea. While being sick was not what I wished for, I have to admit being forced to pause proved to have its rewards. I was able to relax without feeling guilty.

Being sick also gave me plenty of time to pray and ask God for discernment about His plans for 2024. God reminded me how important it is to take time to pause so that I am able to give my best to my family and my work. Planned pauses are always easier than forced pauses, but may each of us also appreciate the value of those moments when we are forced to slow down and pause.

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You for showing me the value of forced pauses. Show me pockets of time each day to take time and pause with You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. 

Psalms 61:1-3 NIV — Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.

Yesterday I shared with you the acronym P.R.A.Y. = pause, reflect, ask, yield. Today I share a poem that encourages us to “practice the pause.”

When in doubt, pause.

When angry, pause.

When tired, pause.

When stressed, pause.

And when you pause, pray.

As I have written before, I like to light a candle when I have my devotion time in the morning. As suggested by Julie, my mantra for 2024 will be “light the candle.” Instead of only lighting a candle in the mornings during devotion time, I will also light candles in the afternoons and evenings when home. I even took the time to change all the batteries in my remote controlled candles. Over the last week I have enjoyed pausing and lighting our house with the soft glow of candlelight. I encourage you to take the time to pause and light the candle. Practice the pause in life and refer to the above poem when life is overwhelming. 

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You for gentle reminders to pause. Speak to me in the moments of pause and help me to light the candle. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Matthew 11:28-30 NIV — Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Life is so busy. We, as a society, stay in constant motion. Last year God gave me the word “relish” as my word of the year. Last year my son graduated from high school, my first grandchild was born, and my daughter began driving herself to school. I relished the moment as my son took his last swing at home plate and my daughter served the final serve for her 2023 volleyball season. The year brought many ups and downs and God gave me strength and courage each step of the way.

As I prayed for insight from God about my word for 2024 He told me to pause. While I have learned to relish moments, I need to jump off the merry-go-round pace of life more often and sit quietly at the feet of Jesus. When studying, I ran across the acronym P.R.A.Y. = pause, reflect, ask, yield. Let’s all use this acronym as a catalyst for spiritual growth during times God leads us to pause.

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You for leading me to pause. Help me to remember to P.R.A.Y. In Jesus’ name, Amen.