Inspirations from the Funny Farm

John 19: 28-30 Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Today we celebrate Good Friday, a day that was so gloomy and sad, but also a day that lead to redemption and salvation for us all. We continue our reflection on the events that lead up to that glorious resurrection day as we look at Friday’s events. This week, I have been sharing the words of a friend of mine for this Holy Week rather than my own words. The words were written by a friend of mine, Bro. William “Quentin” McCardle. Quentin was not only a friend, he was a pastor and a high school culinary arts teacher. He touched the lives of many during his short time on earth. Bro. Quentin was called to his heavenly home last year. However, he left behind a legacy. Each year during Holy Week, he shared a daily devotional describing the events of that particular day of the week. I have been honoring Bro. Quentin’s memory by sharing his writings in my blog this week. I pray that you have enjoyed these writings. Today I will share the last of Bro. Quentin’s Holy Week devotionals. Let us continue to savor the Word of God each day and realize the great price our Lord paid for our salvation. Please read John chapter 19 as part of your daily Bible readings today, but don’t forget your tissues. There will be tears. The following words are those of Bro Quentin.

I can’t help but wonder how many people truly know the reason we have Good Friday. It’s not about Easter Bunnies or garden planting nor is it “just another day.” Today is the commemoration of an event that changed the course of human history. When Jesus said, “It is finished,” the plan of salvation had been completed. Jesus accomplished what millions of gallons of animal blood couldn’t do! As the Lamb of God shed His blood the veil that stood between the priest and God was opened. We no longer need priests to cover our sins, Jesus is the High Priest and He makes intercession for us! Blessed be the Lamb of Glory. He paid a debt He didn’t owe because I owed a debt I couldn’t pay!

John 13:1-5 Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end. It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.

We continue our reflection on the events that lead up to that glorious resurrection day as we look at Thursday’s events. This week, I have sharing the words of a friend of mine for this Holy Week rather than my own words. The words were written by a friend of mine, Bro. William “Quentin” McCardle. Quentin was not only a friend, he was a pastor and a high school culinary arts teacher. He touched the lives of many during his short time on earth, and left this earth at a young age. However, he left behind a legacy. Each year during Holy Week, he shared a daily devotional describing the events of that particular day of the week. I am continuing to honor Bro. Quentin by sharing his writings in my blog this week. Let us take this week to really savor the Word of God and realize the great price our Lord paid for our salvation. Please read John chapter 13 verses 1 through 20 as part of your daily Bible readings today. The following words were written by Bro. Quentin.

Maundy Thursday is the day Jesus celebrated Passover with His disciples. After the meal, he took a towel and began to wash the disciples feet. Can you imagine? The Lord of Glory seen fit to wash another’s feet? This was a job reserved for a mere servant not God incarnate. Yet Jesus told them He came to serve and serve He did! You see, through foot washing we are taught the importance of servant-leadership. So often we are guilty of mere lip service but when people see your humility and unselfish works, they can see Christ in you! The act of foot washing also reminds us that even though my faith is in Christ and He has cleansed me from all unrighteousness, the sins I commit daily hinder my relationship with Him until they too are repented of. Serve Christ today by serving others. John 13:1-20. By the way, Maundy is a Latin term for foot washing!

John 12:4-8 But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor. Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself. Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

We continue our reflection on the events that lead up to that glorious resurrection day as we look at Wednesday’s events. This week, I have sharing the words of a friend of mine for this Holy Week rather than my own words. The words were written by a friend of mine, Bro. William “Quentin” McCardle. Quentin was not only a friend, he was a pastor and a high school culinary arts teacher. He touched the lives of many during his short time on earth. I am honoring Bro. Quentin by sharing his writings in my blog this week. Let us take this week to really savor the Word of God and realize the great price our Lord paid for our salvation. Please read John chapter 11 and 12 as part of your daily Bible readings today. The following words were written by Bro. Quentin.

Today is Spy Wednesday and the belief is that today marks the day when Jesus was anointed in Bethany. The disciples wanted Jesus to rebuke the one who anointed Him believing the ointment could have been sold and added to the treasury. Judas desired to keep the money and after this event he decided to spy on Christ for the Sanhedrin. We are often too quick to pass judgement on Judas for betraying Christ for 30 pieces of silver, but how many times do we also betray our Lord by living for our own selfish desires? Isn’t He worth more to you than things of the world? He should be……..God help us to totally yield to Him.

Matthew 24:3-8 Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?” Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.

Yesterday, I began sharing the words of a friend of mine for this Holy Week rather than my own words. The words were written by a friend of mine, Bro. William “Quentin” McCardle. Quentin was not only a friend, he was a pastor and a high school culinary arts teacher. He touched the lives of many during his short time on earth. I am sharing his Holy Week devotionals this week as a reminder for us to reflect on the days that lead up to the crucifixion and resurrection, but I am also sharing these words to honor the memory of a wonderful man of God. Let us continue to savor the Word of God and realize the great price our Lord paid for our salvation as we study His Word this week. Please read Matthew chapter 24 as part of your daily Bible readings today. The following words were written by Bro. Quentin.

Today is known to many as Holy Tuesday. Traditionally this is the day Jesus gave the Olivet Discourse prophesying the destruction of Jerusalem and his return. Hatred and animosity would be the trademark of society, many would claim to be the messiah, nations would war with others, famines and natural disasters would become commonplace; all this would lead up to his return. The Olivet message was taught to give the disciples of Jesus hope for tomorrow. They would soon see the hatred of the world turn toward Jesus, not long after, they would face much of the same persecutions. All of the disciples, with the exception of John, were martyred for their belief in Jesus. But the Olivet sermon still gave the disciples hope and filled their hearts with joy because Jesus would come again and establish His kingdom! No matter how rough the world is, it’s all part of a bigger picture and purpose, but we have no need to fear! Those who have placed their faith and trust in Christ will rejoice at His return. Christians are admonished to keep watching, keep waiting and keep working! Today is a good day to be thinking of His return. Are you ready to meet Him? (Read Matthew 24)

Mark 11:12-25 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it. On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. When evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city. In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

As we all know, this is the week that leads up to Resurrection Sunday, also known as Easter. This is the day that we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior. I think that this is a great time for reflection on the events that lead up to that glorious resurrection day, and I would like to do something a bit different this week. I am going to share the words of a friend of mine rather than my own words. The words that you will read over the next five days were written by my friend, Bro. William “Quentin” McCardle. Quentin was not only a friend, he was a pastor and a high school culinary arts teacher. He touched the lives of many during his short time on earth. He invited me to speak at his church once, and his flock welcomed me with open arms. He also spoke at one of our ladies’ ministry meetings at our church and taught us to prepare some hot and spicy jambalaya. He told us that he planned to have a cookbook printed one day, and he like the title “Praise the Lord and Pass the Biscuits.” That dream never came to fruition as Bro. Quentin was called to his heavenly home last year. Bro. Quentin was a man who loved God, loved his family, loved his church, loved his students, and loved to cook. However, he left us at a young age, but he behind a legacy. Each year during Holy Week, he shared a daily devotional describing the events of that particular day of the week. I would like to honor Bro. Quentin by sharing his writings in my blog this week. The following words are his, not mine. Let us take this week to really savor the Word of God and realize the great price our Lord paid for our salvation. Read Mark chapter 11 as part of your daily scripture reading today.

During Holy Week I want to share the significance of each day. Leading up to the Lord’s crucifixion and resurrection. Monday was the day Jesus headed to the Temple and was angered by the thievery taking place there. However, on His way he noticed a fig tree full of leaves. Being hungry, he approached the tree hoping to eat of it’s fruit, but the tree was barren. He then cursed the tree and by the next day, it had withered and died. When asked to explain, He likened the fig tree to Israel. They had the Word of the Law and Prophets but yet failed to realize Jesus is the Messiah. They had a form of godliness, but instead of trusting Jesus, they placed their faith in their religious obligations, thus making them useless in Kingdom work. Don’t be guilty of trusting in your religion. Religion teaches you how to try and work your way into the Kingdom, but only faith and trust in the Messiah will take you there. Don’t be like the barren fig tree, you may look like a healthy Christian, but if you aren’t producing fruit, you are worthless to the Lords work. Stay tuned for Tuesday’s significance as we follow Christ during the last week of His earthly ministry.

John 1:12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.

2 Corinthians 5:17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

I venture to say that we all know who Christ is. He is Lord, Master, Teacher, Son of God, Lamb of God, the Great I Am, Yahweh, king of Kings, Immanuel, the Alpha and Omega, the Light of the world, the Resurrection and the Life, and the list goes on and on. If we are His children, we know who He is. We know how wonderful and marvelous our Master and Savior truly is. But what is our identity? Who are we? That is the thought I am pondering on this beautiful bluebird morning. Who am I in Christ?

When we accept Christ into our hearts, and truly allow Him to be the Lord of our lives, we are changed. We become a new person in Christ, and that old person is no more. Scripture gives us many examples of who we are in Christ. Let us review a few of these from scripture to remind us of who we are. We are holy and without blame, and chosen to be His even before the beginning of the world. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. (Ephesians 1:4) We are friends of Christ. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. (John 15:15) We are adopted as His children. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. (Ephesians 1:5) We have been justified. Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. (Romans 5:1) We have been given direct access to the Father. Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us. (Ephesians 2:18) We are citizens of heaven. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. (Philippians 3:20) We are victorious. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57) And this list goes on and on.

When we look in the mirror do we see this person whom we are in Christ? Do we see a person who is holy and without blame? Do we see a friend of Christ? Do we see ourselves as heirs to the throne, adopted children of God? Do we realize that we have been justified? Do we realize that we have direct access to God because of Christ…and do we take advantage of that direct line regularly? Do we call on our Father in our time of need? Do we go to Him and sing praises and thank Him for our many blessings? Do we truly realize that we are citizens of heaven? And do we recognize that we are victorious through Christ? Do we see that we are wonderful creations made by a loving Father? We were knitted together in our mother’s womb. He knows the number of hairs on our heads. We are so wonderfully and unconditionally loved by our Father. We are His and He is ours.

I fear that when we look in the mirror we don’t see that person. We see someone who needs a little bit of reprimanding. We see a person who has messed up too many times to count. We see a person who is struggling to get through the day. We see a person who is tired and weary, and one who isn’t sure how to make it through even one more day. Well, my friend, I challenge you to go look in your mirror right now and see the person that you truly are! You are a child of God, loved by the king of Kings. You are an heir to the throne of God, and you have been adopted into His family. You have been made worthy by the blood of Christ. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. And you are so LOVED by our God. Can you see it now? Your identity is in Christ. It is not in the world. See yourself as Christ sees you! You were made in His image. You are His, and He is yours!

Psalm 145:9 The Lord is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation.

Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

Ruth 2:12 May the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully for what you have done.

I have been told that I am a very lucky person to have such an awesome career, home, and life. I beg to differ. I am not a lucky person. I don’t win things. I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth, and I won’t be winning any grand prizes. I know people who appear to be very lucky. There are people who seem to win every contest they enter. Some people who just seem to have the Midas touch in which everything they touch turns to gold. Not this old girl, though! No I don’t think luck has anything to do with my current situation. I am the person that I am today and have the things I have because of the innumerable blessings of my Father. Yes, it is blessings from God and hard work on my part that has made me into the woman I am today.

People tend to look on the outside. They see the outer package. They see the cover of the book, but they do not have any idea how the story goes. The pages of my life have many twists and turns. There are plot twists and surprises all along the way. There has been tragedy, but there has been great joy. I was once a scared young woman who decided to take on the challenge of nursing school. I aced it, but I didn’t do that on my own accord. The good Lord carried me through. Later, that same young girl decided to be an acute care nurse practitioner, but her good God said no. I then applied for the family nurse practitioner program, and was accepted immediately. I aced that program too, but not on my own accord. My good Savior saved me. He carried me through. I married much too young at the age of barely nineteen. That marriage failed because although God was in me, He wasn’t in the marriage. Little did I know, my good God had a plan so much better for my life. He blessed me with four children, the most kind, loving, sweet Christian husband, wonderful in-laws, and the true meaning of family.

I live in a wonderful little home in which our back deck overlooks a little creek that runs through our eighty acre forest. I am surrounded by many of God’s creations…trees, flowers, and critters of many species. I walk hand in hand with a man I truly love. I have a fantastic career, although for the past year, I haven’t really loved what I do as much thanks to good old COVID-19, but still I see the blessings in each and every day at work. I am blessed with the best husband I could ever hope for, great kids, and the best grandson. I have also been blessed with a great daddy, sibling, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends too.

Yes, to anyone who didn’t really know me, they might think that I am one lucky girl. I am here to tell you that LUCK has nothing to do with it, nothing at all to do with it! It is all God, ya’ll. Everything I have, all of the material possession, I have because God blessed me with these things. All that I am, my ability to succeed in school and then in my career, is because God blessed me with those gifts and talents and a good brain. I am nothing without my Savior, and I have realized through the years that if all of the things I have in this life were taken away, if every single thing disappeared, gone in a heartbeat, I would still be okay because I would still have my Savior. And my Savior is all I really need.

I praise His name day in and day out because this girl knows that she isn’t lucky. This girl knows that everything she has comes from above, and I know that my God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. No, I’m not lucky at all, but I am terrifically blessed by a loving, wonderful God!

2 Corinthians 4:16-17 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!

Joshua 1:8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.

Last night, my Aunt Carolyn called me and said that she has been going through my grandmother’s things, and she wanted for all of the grandchildren and great grandchildren to have an opportunity to choose some of the items if we wanted. I thanked her profusely, and I became very excited about looking through some of my grandmother’s things, reminiscing about precious memories shared with her throughout my childhood. I was blessed with two wonderful grandmothers. Both women were extremely hard workers, and neither one was ever rich by the standards of society. Oh, but they were rich in my eyes. The love that was shared by my grandparents to us grandchildren was more precious to me than all of the money in the banks. Those memories are even more precious now. I do not have any living grandparents or great grandparents. They have all been called home to the Lord, but now, God has blessed with with a grandchild. I never knew what a precious gift a grandchild was until I had one of my own. Grandchildren are definitely a true blessing from God.

That phone call from my aunt was very timely because it seems I have been spending a lot of time reminiscing over the past week. I’m not sure if it is because next week is the seventeenth anniversary of my mother’s death, or if it is just because I too am getting older and wiser, and I enjoy times of reflecting on the good old days. Poet Wendell Berry has observed that when we are young, our lives are all time and little memory. As we grow older, we discover that our lives are almost entirely memory and very little time. I couldn’t have said it better myself, Mr. Berry! As I’ve grown older it seems that there is very little time in each day and the days are getting shorter every year.

I love sitting down and talking with my daddy and my father-in-law. Those two men are two of the wisest men I know, and they have lived a very good, but perhaps hard life. They have some stories to tell, and I enjoy sitting down with a cup of coffee and just soaking it all in. I love to hear stories of the past. When I was in high school, I absolutely hated history class. It was probably my least favorite subject, but now, I love delving into history, looking back to a time that was much more simple, a time in which people stood firm on the foundational beliefs of God. Yes, my friends, when we sit down with our elders and reminisce about the good old days, we are not just pulling out old memories from storage. No, we are actually recalling years of God’s faithfulness. We hear and see testimony after testimony of God’s goodness and grace that has been poured upon us through the years.

When we read scripture, we also are reflecting on things of the past, and many might say that those things are of no significance to us. I must disagree. Through scripture, we see the faithfulness of our God in every book of the Bible. We see His power and His might, His goodness and His grace, and His abundant love. Those memories actually act to inspire within us hope for tomorrow. I don’t know about you, my friend, but the past year of my life has been a bit overwhelming. I don’t think we should cling to the past. I advocate for a future oriented mindset. We must keep our hearts and minds focused on the prize…eternity in heaven. However, when we are feeling overwhelmed or we feel like things have gotten out of control, it is then that we must cultivate a spiritual memory. We must continue our journey through faith. God brought us through every single situation we have faced in our past, and He will continue to bring us through any difficulty we face today. All we have to do is reminisce on those times He brought us through with such love and grace, and this will remind us that He will continue to carry us through.

Luke 1:38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. (ESV)

I heard a catchy saying on the radio, “Pray and believe, and you will receive. Pray in doubt, and you will do without.” That little phrase caught my attention because it reminded me of a recent Bible study shared in our ladies’ ministry. The reference scripture is from Luke 1:28-38, but the focus verse is verse 38. And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Let’s reflect a little bit on this very well known story. The virgin Mary who was highly favored in the eyes of God was given the distinguished honor of birthing the Messiah. What a wonderful privilege this was, but it probably didn’t seem like such a wonderful thing at the time. If we put ourselves in Mary’s sandals, we would realize that a woman who became pregnant before marriage wasn’t just a no-no during these days. No, my friends, it was heresy. It was actually punishable by death. In today’s time, the occurrence is so frequent that no one even seems to bat an eye, but in Mary’s day, this was a crime. The young virgin is engaged to marry Joseph, and all of a sudden, the angel of Lord appears to her and tells her that she has been chosen to be the earthly mom of the Savior of the world! Whoa! That was a huge announcement. There was so much to consider. People would find out she was pregnant before marriage. Her betrothed could have her stoned to death. It could turn out to be a really big mess for Mary. But no…how did Mary respond? “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

Let it be to me according to your word! I’ve read this scripture a hundred times, but for the first time last week, I read it in a whole new perspective. I love this verse, and I so want it to be my mantra. Let it be to me according to your word! Mary had a whole lot of faith. This was very apparent in her attitude of acceptance of the Lord’s will over her life. She fully believed in God, and she trusted His plan. She didn’t refuse the task that was expected of her. She didn’t argue. She said let it be to me according to your word. This is where our prayer life should start. We should ask God to let it be to us according to His word.

How many times in life do we respond this way to God? When God places something on our hearts, His desire for us, is our first thought, let it be Lord? Let your will be done in my life Lord. Mary is an excellent example of a humble servant of God. We could learn a lot from that young woman. Mary was willing to be the servant of the most High, and she was given the honor of birthing the Messiah, our Savior, Immanuel, God with us. What an amazing gift God gave Mary!

Mary knew scripture, and she had a strong belief in God. She had strong faith and trust well before the angel of the Lord visited her. I have to wonder how I would have responded in this situation. I know it would not have been handle with such grace. Although, I have learned from Mary’s example, and as I have matured in my faith I have learned to have a strong faith in God, and I trust Him completely with my life. Oh, I still try to manage things on my own every now and then, but it never takes me long to realize that I can not do anything in my own power. I have to keep my trust in God.

Now, back to the catchy phrase that I shared earlier. “Pray and believe, and you will receive. Pray in doubt, and you will do without.” I shared the story of Mary to help make my point. Mary trusted completely in God. She had a relationship with the heavenly Father. She was willing to do what He asked because she trusted Him. We too must have a relationship with the Father. We can’t keep God on a back burner. We can’t think of Him as our genie in a bottle. He doesn’t only want to hear from us when we are in a bind or when we have had a bad day. No, my friends, He wants a relationship. And when we develop a trusting, loving relationship with our Father, when we get to know Him, we gradually realize that we can trust Him with everything. We can trust Him with the good, the bad, and the ugly. And more importantly, we can go to Him in prayer and expect that He will answer. When is the last time that you went to the Lord in prayer and expected Him to answer?

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. (I John 5:14-15) Scripture reveals that if we ask anything of God and it is according to His will, He will hear us, and if we know He hears us, we know that He will answer. We only have to believe to receive. We must ask according to the will of God, and then we only have to believe that He will answer. If we doubt God’s ability, if we doubt that He is listening, well then, we will likely do without. We must trust Him completely.

It is my heart’s desire to be more like Mary. I want to repeatedly say and mean with all that I am, “Let it be to me according to your word.” And I want my prayers and petitions to God to always be in His will, not mine. I want to mature into the woman that He desires for me to be. There is so much wisdom to be obtained from the holy Word of God. I still have so much to learn, and I am ever so grateful that I serve such a patient, loving God. I will continue to pray and believe that God will continue to grow me to be a woman that lives those words. Let it be to me according to your word, Lord. And let my prayers be in the will of God. Your will God, not mine…

John 14:16-17 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.

Deuteronomy 31:8 Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.

After my manic Monday this week, I woke up on Tuesday with a new attitude. I was prayed up and prepared for Tuesday. It didn’t matter to me if it was a terrific Tuesday or a terrible Tuesday because God reminded me once again that He was there. He never leaves me. I got in my car to leave for work and caught the tail end of a praise song singing the words “God loves you.” I took this as just one more reminder that God was telling me He was right there beside me and He would never leave me. I looked up and thanked Him once again. I can rest assured that I will never be facing any challenges alone. And then, the very next song that came on the radio was Matthew West’s song, A God Who Stays. I’m telling you that it was if God was saying, “I reminded you that I am with you, but just in case you didn’t get it yet, let me knock you over the head one more time. Do you get it now?” Oh, I got it, and the words to this song really drove His point home!

If I were You I would’ve given up on me by now. I would’ve labeled me a lost cause ’cause I feel just like a lost cause. If I were You I would’ve turned around and walked away. I would’ve labeled me beyond repair ’cause I feel like I’m beyond repair. Oh, but somehow You don’t see me like I do. Somehow You’re still here. You’re the God who stays. You’re the God who stays. You’re the one who runs in my direction when the whole world walks away. You’re the God who stands with wide open arms, and You tell me nothing I have ever done can separate my heart from the God who stays.

The words struck home. I had felt overwhelmed the day before, but God gently reminded me that I am never alone. And the words but somehow You don’t see me like I do reminded me of the words I studied just a few nights ago, and the question that was asked, “How does God see you?” Our identities are grounded in how God sees us, not how man sees us. Mary, the mother of Christ, was referred to as highly favored meaning that she had a divine purpose over her life. It was also said that Mary was given favor in the eyes of God meaning that she was given the privilege to birth the Messiah. Mary was favored by God, but in case you need a reminder today too, let me share some great news with you. You too are highly favored by that same mighty God. We each have a divine purpose over our lives. He intricately wove us together in our mother’s womb. He made us wonderfully complex, and His workmanship is marvelous! Psalm 139:13-14 reminds us of these things. Yes, my friends, we too are highly favored in the eyes of our loving Father. Your identity is grounded in the way our heavenly Father sees us, and He sees us as His children, His highly favored children. We are His, and He is ours!

It is quite amazing actually when we attempt to put these things in perspective. How can God love me like He loves me? I don’t deserve His love, kindness, patience, grace, or mercy. I don’t deserve any of those things, yet He still loves me completely and promises to never leave me. I think back to the times in my life when I have felt completely alone…the loss of my mother, a major job change, a failed marriage. Those were some tough times. I remember back to the days when my sweet husband worked overseas. He was gone 32 days at a time. It was tough being home without him, but even when he was gone, I knew that he was there. He would message me all throughout the day, and we spoke on the phone every single night before bedtime. He was there for me, even when he wasn’t physically present, and I knew that no matter what happened on the farm while he was gone, Jeff was still there to help me handle it. Our God is ever present too, y’all. We may not see him physically, but He is right there beside us, watching over us, moving around all the chess pieces in life to place us right where He needs us to be and placing others right where they need to be so that His great plans for our lives are carried out for our good and His glory. He is there. He never leaves. His word is true.

If you are feeling alone, overwhelmed, or maybe feel like you have lost your way, call on our Savior. He is there. He is waiting and watching, and He is ready to guide your path. He NEVER leaves.