Christian Devotionals and Scripture Applied to Everyday Life

“She looks so much like you!” a fellow high school mom remarked to me the other day as we sat watching our students practice for the upcoming play production of The Music Man. I glanced at the stage and had to agree. Abigail shows some physical features that loudly proclaim she is mine. While every child will likely resemble his or her parents in certain ways, each of us hope we have given more than just physical characteristics to our offspring. Hopefully positive character traits have rubbed off as well.

It’s funny how the smallest things can embed themselves in your memory. There are so many things we forget, but then the most insignificant of experiences sticks and throughout your life comes to mind. Sometimes it even shapes how you look at God.

Sometimes it seems like ungodly people win. We see it in business as well as in every day life. Those who have worldly wealth put the stranglehold on those less financially blessed and get what they want through the power of the dollar. Others use status to claw their way up the ladder, ousting others who may be more qualified. Unfair circumstances can create huge frustration and bewilderment for those who are trying to do right, but God has something to say about these matters.

City lights have always thrilled me! Growing up in Kearny, NJ, I cut my teeth just over the border from the Big Apple. From my earliest days, I wondered over the beauty of the New York City skyline. It was an everyday, unmissable view as we drove east on the nearby highway. Uncle Chuck and I always sat on the edge of our seats so we could be the first to catch a glimpse of the Empire State Building and the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center rising up over the horizon. You could see the skyline clearly on any cloudless day, but at night the radiance was spectacular. God calls His children to be the brightest lights ever!

Flu and cold season is upon us! It is not only the weak, but even the most hearty that can be forced to bed with coughing, sniffling, aches, and fever. This undesirable glitch in our plans is such an inconvenience for busy people like us! Thankfully there are excellent doctors and numerous modern medicines to ease the discomforts of our maladies and promote healing. This was not always the case.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could control everyone around us? Unfortunately there are times we are forced into difficult situations because of decisions made by someone else. While we may know the right thing to do we are powerless to act. Instead we are left at the mercy of another’s lack of wisdom. These circumstances may be frustrating, but we are not left alone as helpless victims of another’s insanity. God is still in control, and we can fully trust Him to accomplish His purposes.