According to my seven-year-old, I need new eyes. I giggled inside when Analiah told me this while at the library the other day. Earlier this year I had my contact exam. The doctor said my eyes are doing great. So why did Analiah think I needed new eyes?

Two kids, two boards, nails and one hammer. Caleb and Analiah were outside working on a project. Analiah went first with the hammer. Then, Caleb took his turn hammering nails into the board. Analiah complained and whined, “When can I have a turn again?” I responded that her turn would be soon. Next, I encouraged her to cheer Caleb on while he worked. At first, Analiah didn’t like the idea. She was so focused on getting her turn that Analiah didn’t want to cheer her brother on.

The sun beat down but she continued to work anyway. As Ruth worked, she may have wondered “Does anyone notice me?” The answer was yes. Ruth was definitely noticed and her life was about to change that day.

Have you ever met someone who is always joyful, never stops praying and is thankful in everything? Me neither. I’d love to be this way but it seems so impossible. Does it mean we ignore these commands in the bible? No. In today’s post, we will look at each command and share how doable it is to obey these commands.

For years, I tried to handle things on my own. I reasoned that I could figure life out. I didn’t need any help. And then I met Jesus my freshman year of college. I learned that I do in fact need help and where to turn when I need help. I am so thankful that I don’t have to life alone. But all too often, I fall back into the old pattern of feeling like I don’t need help. Maybe you can relate? The other day, the Holy Spirit used my daughter Analiah to remind me where to turn when I need help.

Every now and then that feeling comes. The feeling of wanting to give up. You just can’t seem to get ahead, so why bother? Today, I want to share a story with you about how a game of Candyland encouraged me to not give up.

Every day we have a choice. A choice to walk with our head held high or downcast. No one can make us walk a certain way. It all comes down to what we believe. This was displayed to me last year at a Spartan event. A Spartan finisher walked by slowly as if carrying the weight of the world. His face was downcast and he limped a little because of an injury. My friends and I called out “Great job on the Spartan. You did it!”  The finisher mumbled “Thanks” and limped away.

“And as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshiped him.” Matthew 28:9, NLT If Jesus was coming towards you right now, how would you react? Maybe you would start asking a lot of questions or maybe you wouldn’t even be able to speak. The response of two women in the Bible, Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, challenged me this past Easter morning. They did three things when they saw Jesus. Run, grasp, and worship.

What is the secret of being content? The apostle Paul tells us in our verses for today that he knows the secret of living content. What does it mean to be content? In today’s blog post, I will unpack this a little bit.

Did you struggle to get out of bed this morning? Maybe you woke up and wanted a do-over. As you laid there, did you remember that terrible thing you said yesterday to your spouse or your kid or maybe even a friend? Oh, how you wish you could take it back. Or maybe you struggled yesterday to believe God’s truth over man’s lies. Maybe that script in your head kicked in and it was hard to fight it. And then you wondered to yourself, will I ever change?  YES!! A thousand times yes! You can change those bad habits. Every day, you get a fresh start.