enLIVEn Devotionals

Abiding in Jesus - Overflowing His Spirit

Holy Deafness

My friend hurt my feelings. She spread “her view” to several other friends. Her comments waltzed their way into my house and infuriated me. I was sure I had been fatally wounded. Falling to my knees, I wailed, “Speak to me from Your Word.” I opened my Bible to the gospel of Mark: “But Jesus, not heeding the word spoken…” It was soul food. I knew I needed “holy deafness,” or I would become part of the problem, rather than part of the solution. I sat quietly and began to pray. Lord, give me holy deafness when hurtful words are said. Help me to continue to be about my Father’s business and not ... Read the Post

Measure of a Mom

Before I was blessed with my wonderful son, Caleb, I had all sorts of ideas on how I would raise my children. Usually, these ideas came from experiences of watching others around me parent their children. I often found myself thinking, “When I have children, I will never let them act like that!” A toddler throwing a tantrum in a store when his mommy refused him candy would be filed away in my mind under the “What Not to do” category. I had high standards for parents, and those around me seemed to always fall short. In my own mind, I was Dr. Spock and other parents were top candidates for ... Read the Post

I Am That I Am

Have you ever gone through a series of crisis that occurred simultaneously? Though you've come through it all with your sanity and faith intact, you feel exhausted wanting only to crawl into the comforting arms of someone who will hold you with compassion and understanding until your soul is replenish. That's how I felt! Since February, I have been bombarded with crisis upon crises in every major area of my life that left me feeling abandon and isolated from family and friends. No one could connect with me in my loss because they hadn't been where I'd been. "Lord!" I cried, "I need a hug ... Read the Post

In Celebration of Grandma

Recently, I traveled from home to be with my daughter and three young grandchildren who were grieving the loss of their grandmother. As expected at their age, our time together was filled with a mixed bag of emotions. One minute the kids would be playing and laughing, and the next they’d be climbing onto a lap for another round of cuddling and kisses. Occasionally, one child would quietly ask another question about Grandma and why she had died. It was obvious their young minds were trying to understand the implications of her death and their loss. One evening we all dined at a local ... Read the Post

Laundry

One of my least favorite jobs is doing laundry. There are just too many steps that must be taken to get the job done. First, I have to get the laundry downstairs. Then I have to sort it and add it one load at a time in the washer. (It really doesn’t like it when I try and put two loads in at once). Next, I have to move it to the dryer, fold it, and put it away. I can get the laundry in the washer, and I can usually get that load in the dryer and the next one in the washer; but beyond that, it takes what I call mountain-moving faith. I end up with mountains of sorted dirty clothes trying to ... Read the Post