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I know those Israelites get a bad rap sometimes, wandering around in the desert, complaining, disobeying etc. There have been several times as I read their story that I think, “The promise land is right there! How on earth are you managing to miss it? God has also provided for you so many times, why are you still doubting Him?”

They had seen Him deliver them from Egypt, (loaded down with their neighbors’ gold no less) part the Red Sea and drown their pursuers. They even had the visible evidence that He was with them in the form of a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. But still, when faced with hunger, they doubted.

God miraculously provided again with bread from Heaven. This “manna” would come down during the night each night and cover the ground. They could gather it in the morning for the day’s food and then it would dissolve in the sun. God gave specific instructions that they were to only gather enough for the day and they were not to try to store any for the next, except when the next day was the Sabbath. Sounds straight-forward enough: all they had to do was trust God and He would feed them.

What is it about us humans that finds simple trust and obedience so difficult? Of course, some of the Israelites had to disobey. Whether they thought it would be easier to gather two days worth of food at once or whether they just couldn’t quite trust that the manna would be there again in the morning, there were some that gathered too much. The next day they found the consequences of their action: wormy manna.

I understand this all too well. I am a “squirrel” by nature. I like to keep my cupboards stocked. If my freezer is not full, I get nervous. Unfortunately, this is not just an innocent habit of mine. It stems from an innate distrust in the goodness and provision of God. Just like those Israelites missing the point over and over, God has miraculously provided for me and my family over and over–and still I worry!

I am still working towards complete trust and faith in God. I do not want to end up with wormy manna that I have tried to provide for myself. God wants us to trust in His amazing abundance and goodness. He has all the riches of Heaven at His disposal and He loves to give them to His children. As we celebrate Thanksgiving this next week, I am going to try to focus on the lavishness of His love for me. I want to be truly thankful and grateful for all He has provided for me and learn to trust and accept that He will continue to do so.

“And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

P.S. The pictures of the real worms were too gross so I went with gummy worms!

The past ten days have been quite the roller coaster. Don’t panic, I am not going to get political! However, no matter what your political leaning or beliefs, I think we can all agree we have seen some bad things happen. Even for myself, although I am not passionate about politics, I frequently end up in discussions about the current events of our nation. It also seems as though no matter how hard we all try, the conversation always swings back around to the pandemic as well. Nobody is going to deny that in many ways 2020 has been a bad year.

With that being said, things are not all bad. People have still gotten married this year, babies have been born, and we have figured out how to keep living. In the Bible, God promises that He works all things together for the good of those who love Him, even all the things we have been through this year! Personally, I have been able to look back over this year and see God’s gracious hand preserving me and my family when I was sure we were going to be overcome by circumstances I perceived as bad.

And now the beautiful. Yes, even in 2020 there are still beautiful things. I find the resiliency that God designed each of us with to be very beautiful. So many people have found ways to reinvent their lives and even be creative within the new parameters we have had to live in. We have learned to connect in new ways, using technology as a tool. People have figured out different ways to celebrate, encourage and strengthen one another. The tenacious human spirit that God placed inside each one of us has continued to rise to the occasion.

So while the year is not yet over and I am sure there are more challenges to be faced, I have hope. God is a good God who promises that He has a future and a hope for each one of us. He will comfort us and guide us and lead us. We just need to trust Him through the good, the bad and into the beautiful.

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

This time of year the candy seems to pour into my house. No matter where my children go, they are blessed with treats and candy. As one holiday follows another, the “blessings” go on and on. Not that my children are complaining, (neither is their dentist!) One of my daughters in particular, is quite the confectionery gourmand. However, every now and then, there will be something that is even outside her expansive taste. My kids call it “weird candy.”

The trading becomes hilarious and sometimes fierce, as they try to persuade a sibling to take the unwanted candy. Surrounded by piles of candy that they do like, they can become very focused on the one piece they haven’t even tried, but are sure they will hate.

As always, my children’s escapades cause me to think about my own life. What is the “weird candy” that pops up unexpectedly? Things that are not necessarily bad or difficult, but just different and unexpected. My tendency is to view new things warily. It might turn out to be my favorite activity in the world, but like my kids being unwilling to eat something unfamiliar, I am also hesitant to try the unknown.

There is another side of this. Just as my children lose sight of the blessings surrounding them as they focus on the unusual, I too can get so wrapped up in worrying about a new opportunity that I forget that I am surrounded by blessings. I forget that God always gives us choices, that as long as I am putting Him first I am free to try new things or not try new things.

God gives us opportunities every day. There are opportunities for obedience, which by the way, He will never force us to do. Also, there are opportunities for growth. And then there are the “weird candy” opportunities, times when we can choose to step outside of our comfort zones and try something new!

“So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” Galatians 6:10

I know we hear a lot about the power of prayer, but it still takes me aback sometimes when I see it in action.

The other day I had a worry pop up in my mind. It wasn’t an earth-shattering problem, but it was still significant to me. Instead of worrying it to death and trying to problem solve it on my own, I took it to Jesus in prayer. Almost as soon as the name, “Jesus,” was formed in my brain, an answer to my problem came to mind. It was such a wonderful reminder of how intimately involved Jesus is in our lives and how He longs to be in relationship with us.

Not that I am saying that all He wants to do is tag along with my agenda for my day and help me, but He wants to be our true focus and source of strength and power. It seems like every devotional, scripture, or Christian book I am reading lately has had one theme: Jesus first, everything else second. This is comforting and difficult all at the same time.

This year has been enough to either cause people to take their eyes completely off Jesus because they view the circumstances as so difficult that there is no way a loving Savior could have allowed them, or the circumstances of this year have brought people to a place of realizing once again, the power of prayer. If we truly believe that God hears our prayers, we can feel comforted even in the midst of hardships.

Prayer is powerful. When we pray, we are literally speaking to the God of the universe Who holds all things together, (even frazzled mothers!) He knows the outcome of everything. He knows our hurts, sorrows and also our joys.

The question may then arise, why pray? If God already knows it all, why do I need to tell Him? It goes back to my first point: relationship. He wants to hear from us. He wants to talk to us. The reason we were created was to have fellowship with our Creator. Prayer also keeps us humble. When I realize that I can’t do it on my own and I bring my troubles to my loving Father, I am admitting my need and receiving His grace. Another really good reason to pray is because Jesus prayed. He modeled prayer in the Bible, in fact, He even prayed for us!

I know this has been an extremely rough, trying year. However, I hope that this reminder that Jesus is always a prayer away has been encouraging. I hope that as you and I learn to pray more, that we will find strength and comfort in the power of prayer.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

“I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me, And what can be the use of him is more than I can see,” so begins a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson that I loved as a child. Shadows are tricky things. As the poem goes on to describe, they do not behave in usual ways. Sometimes they expand and sometimes they are hardly visible at all.

This time of year, shadows take on an ominous quality for children with big imaginations. Each one just might be a monster waiting to jump out and say, “Boo!” While children enjoy the fun of a good scare, I as an adult need to be a little more cautious in how I deal with the shadows in my life.

See, another interesting thing about shadows is how they can misrepresent the object. Shadows can end up looking distorted and scary, far different from how a room looks with the lights on. We are taught a lot about staying away from the dark things of life, evil things that would be detrimental to our relationship with Jesus. However, there is also danger when there is just a small amount of light on a situation, maybe just enough to distort the truth in our minds.

This is a lot like when my children use flashlights. They do not seem to understand that a flashlight works best when held steadily at the area that needs illumination. Instead, they bounce the beam all over, blinding me and creating a confusing array of shadows that move all over the place. If I don’t allow the Holy Spirit to be my light and I am not using the Bible as the lamp of God that it claims to be, I might end up in a shadow world of half truths and confusion.

Jesus is the Light of The World. He came to take away the darkness and bring everything into the light. I am so grateful that I can bring all of my darkness, problems and worries to Him to shed light on and show me the truth!

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12