“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30
 
 
On a trip to my hometown, I drove down memory lane. Passing schools where I attended, stores where I had shopped, restaurants where I had dined, plus all too familiar streets and houses unleashed memory after memory as I drove around town. I wish I could say these were all good memories. None were horrible, but many left me wondering why my mind diverted down these forgotten paths to places unbidden, leaving me feeling less than nostalgic and more introspective.

Letting these memories wash over me like waves on a lonely seashore in some ways felt cathartic and therapeutic. As I named these memories for simply being just memories, they began to lose their power over me. Lifting these burdens up to God, I allowed the waves to rinse me clean of yesteryear as these thoughts receded into the depths of the sea in my mind’s eye.
 
What is this tremendous pull the past has on me? Like the lunar tug on the sea creating wave after wave, the past tugs on my mind and heart. Sometimes, the past comes back to haunt me in the form of regret and sadness, tinged with hopelessness and mingled with a sense of emptiness, washing up on the beaches of my soul, day after day, year after year.
 
How can I shake off this grip from the past? As I continued driving, I found myself involuntarily shaking my head. Perhaps not hard enough to dislodge the phantoms of the past permanently, but it was enough to clear my brain so I could thank God for my present and to have hope for the future.
 
Thankfulness creates a sense of joy, a blanket of contentment under which I can crawl when I have allowed my mind to creep back to the past. Being thankful covers the emptiness, the sadness, with a healing balm, soothing the corners of my mind and smoothing out all in between, with God’s peace and presence.
 
Where do you go into the past? Is your trip backward disturbing or healing? Do you let the memories of yesterday wash over you for cleansing or do these waves crash on the beach of your mind, jarring you into time you thought you had forgotten?
 
I love the fact that God isn’t bound by time. He is simultaneously in our past, present, and future. When we turn to him in our present with the load of the past on our backs, He gently lifts our burdens, nailing them to the cross. In the present, we can experience the gift of Himself, full of comfort and healing, true rest for the weary soul. As He leads us forward, we are free from our past, free to be who He created us to be, with a hope and a future.
 
What regrets do you have? What memories, when triggered, haunt you? Give the burdens of yesteryear up to God and allow His cleansing power to wash you clean. Look to Him for comfort, rest, and hope.
 
 
Dear Jesus, thank You for taking my burdens upon You and exchanging them for peace and rest. Thank You for your comfort and healing power. Amen.
 
 
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Text and photograph copyright © 2018 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of sunset at La Jolla, San Diego, California.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.  Philippians 1:6
 
 
My story is one of heartbreak and healing, fear and courage, resilience and trust, and God’s strength and peace. While my story obviously began the day I was born, I woke up in the middle of my story, so to speak, when my brother died suddenly of a massive heart attack. My 18-year marriage began to unravel at the seams, passing the point of repairability until it ended in divorce. Through remarriage and subsequent divorce, through the deaths of both parents, through a cross-country move, I have seen God’s hand at work in my life to bring about transformation to my character, to my wants and desires, to my perspective. God has transformed tragedies into blessings, changes that I never wanted, but I am thankful for the growth and change within as a result of the changes without.
 
Change is never easy. Although some people seem to “roll with the punches” better than others, I have always found change difficult. Especially if there is little advanced notice, change can be disruptive and create chaos where there once was order. Change can commandeer our plans as it upends us emotionally. The flip side of the coin of change is the opportunity to break out of years of ruts, the prospect to be transformed, and the chance to begin anew.
 
When a friend recently called me resilient, I was stunned. Resilience implies an inner strength and fortitude to weather whatever the storms of life may bring. Perhaps outwardly I did reflect some sense of resiliency and I know that I did get to a place where that was actually true inwardly. What she saw in me was the grace and mercy of God. But to get there, I had days when I felt I was hanging by the proverbial thread. Praying for God’s strength and peace fills me supernaturally with both. When we can no longer move forward through change, crisis, or loss, when we cry out to God for help, He comes along beside us and also within us to fill us up with His strength and peace, and even wisdom to navigate the storm, if only we would turn to Him and ask.
 
My aim in life is not to be happy, as happiness is sorely dependent on circumstances, but rather to be content. Despite the circumstances swirling around me, God raises me up on a rock that is higher than I (Psalm 61:2). When I focus on gratitude, my heart overflows with thankfulness even in the midst of my circumstances and I experience contentment and even joy. When I change my perspective to God’s, even when my vision is clouded by my surroundings, I can experience His peace, knowing that God is faithful and He is good, that whatever happens to me can be used by Him to transform me into who He wants me to be.
 
We’re called to not only be the hands and feet of Jesus while we’re here on earth, but we are called to actually BE like Jesus, to take on His character, to be Christ-like in our thoughts, attitudes, and actions. God can and will use painful circumstances in our lives to shape us into who He wants us to be. While this life of transformation is a journey, and I’m certainly not there yet, I can trust that the God who created me will see this change in me through to its completion, for my benefit, for others’ blessings, and for His glory. May it be so!
 
 
Father God, thank You that you hear my cries and Your indwelling Spirit fills me to overflowing with Your grace, mercy, strength, and peace. Continue to transform me into who You would have me to be, more like Jesus every day. Amen.
 
 
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Text and photograph copyright © 2018 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of sunrise in Monument Valley, Utah.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.  Matthew 16:25
 
 
While shopping at a popular cosmetics store, I glance at their shopping bag. Written on it are the words, "Go ahead, lose yourself ". I pause, silently chuckling at the words, while wondering why they think I need to lose myself. Obviously, this was not a message for me. I, frankly, am on a path of self-discovery. Whatever happened to "find yourself"? Do we really need to escape from ourselves so badly that even shopping bags now carry messages designed to influence us?
 
My initial reaction was to ask myself if I needed to lose myself or to find myself. The pressures of this life do cause us to want to lose ourselves, to escape from stress and brokenness. But perhaps the better way is to find ourselves, to discover our gifts and talents, to be all we can and were designed to be. This involves stepping into the brokenness rather than running from it. When we can honestly look at ourselves, with all our faults and frailties, with our goodness and gifts, then perhaps we can embrace ourselves, in the good, in the bad, and even in the ugliness. Only in stark candor can we allow God to change what needs to be changed, to heal what needs to be healed, in order for us to be the best version of ourselves.
 
Yet there is more to this losing ourselves than is found penned on a shopping bag. In today’s key verse, Jesus speaks with His disciples of His upcoming death on a cross. He says when we live our lives seeking God’s will, we gain eternal life. When we follow Christ’s example, we lose our own identity in the Savior. In the process, we take on the character and attributes of Jesus. We find that He gives us a new identity, a new perspective, a new life, none of which can be taken from us.
 
Jim Elliot, one of the five missionaries martyred in 1956 in Ecuador, profoundly stated: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” When we give of ourselves for Jesus, rather than holding on to what this world has to offer, we find that we have gained an eternity with God which cannot be taken away from us. As He shapes us into who He wants us to be, we discover gifts and talents we didn’t know we had which when exercised for His kingdom, bring joy to us and glory to God.
 
Rather than trying to lose myself in what the world has to offer, I lose myself in Jesus where I find my true self. When I discover who I am in Christ, I can be who I was created to be. I can celebrate my unique identity found only in Jesus and find healing for the brokenness. What about you? Are you busy trying to lose yourself to what the world offers? Or are you losing yourself to the One who gave His life for you? Discover and embrace who you are and who you were created to be. Lose your grip on the things of this world and gain what you can never lose.
 
 
Lord Jesus, thank You for giving Your life that first Easter so that I might gain a relationship with You. Help me lose myself in You as I live out my new identity in You now and for all eternity. Amen.
 
 
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Text and photograph copyright © 2018 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of a hillside near Lake Cachuma, California.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”  John 14:27
 
 
Sorrento is an Italian city located on the Mediterranean coastline south of Naples. Situated on the Sorrentine Peninsula overlooking the Bay of Naples, this picturesque city is home to magnificent views, delicious cuisine, and luscious native lemons. Nestled in the heart of the city is the Old Town.
 
Weaving among the tourists, I pop into shop after shop, making a few purchases. Linen is a bargain here. Lemon products, like lemon candy, lemon chocolate, and limoncello are abundant. After making my purchases, with camera in tow, I exit Old Town. The city’s main piazza or square is just steps away from this old, more touristy section of town. Although I’ve been to this piazza several times, I pause with my eye pressing into the viewfinder to snap one more photo.
 
Poised to press the shutter button, I’m startled by the buzzing sound of a kazoo right at my ear. I turn to discover the face of a clown just inches from mine! I turn and walk in the opposite direction and stop to frame the photo again. There’s a tap on my shoulder. I push pass the clown, glaring as I go, and blurt out in English to leave me alone. (While I do know how to say that in French, I only wish I knew how to say that in Italian!) I snap my photo and as I walk away from the scene, I realize the clown has been putting on a show for the people sitting at the sidewalk café just behind me. I’m too annoyed to care. Contemplating my escape either to walk back into the familiar Old Town or to embark on new territory, I choose the latter and am rewarded by a gorgeous view of the bay.
 
Coulrophobia is defined as an irrational fear of clowns. Although I don’t have coulrophobia, I can’t say that I like clowns. The fact that they remain anonymous under their makeup and act unpredictably is enough to make me uncomfortable around them. Add to that a sense that their faces look somewhat human, but not completely, increases my discomfort.
 
That day in Sorrento reminds me that our fears can sneak up on us and startle us. They reach out and tap us on the shoulder. Like the clown in Sorrento, they relentlessly pursue us, vying for our attention with the upmost persistence.
 
While mine may be different from yours, we all have our fears. To be afraid is to be human. Fear keeps us locked in the familiar, too afraid to step out into something new. It prevents us from doing what we need or want to do. How do we keep fear from paralyzing us? How can we overcome fear and experience peace instead?

On the night before He suffered death on the cross, Jesus says to His disciples, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Although Jesus is preparing His disciples for His physical death and resurrection, He tells them that His Holy Spirit will be with them always. They do not need to fear.

Like the first disciples, we as believers have the Holy Spirit within us. While some deep-seated fears may require professional help, many of our fears can be overcome through awareness, prayer, and simply facing them. Awareness of fear is the first step. Praying for strength to overcome fear unleashes the Holy Spirit’s power into our life. Confronting our fears strips them of their power over us. Just as I looked the Sorrento clown in the face and told him to stop bothering me, we can confront our fear and walk away in courage and strength.

Fear does not have to paralyze us and keep us from living the life we are meant to live. We can experience peace. As I discovered that day in Sorrento, we can acknowledge fear is preventing us from doing what we want to do. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can choose to not let fear control us. We can face our fear and step out in the power of the Holy Spirit into a new place, filled with beauty and peace.
 
 
Lord, show me where fear controls me. Help me confront my fears. Calm the fear in me as I rely on Your Holy Spirit to free me from fear and to lead me to a place of peace. Amen.
 
 
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Text and photograph copyright © 2018 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the Bay of Naples from Sorrento.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  John 8:31-32
 
 
It is a very narrow road with twisting “Mama Mia!” kinds of switchbacks. Often there is only width for one vehicle at a time. The view is impressive, even en route, if you dare to look out the window as the steep asphalt, absent any guard rails, whooshes by. I’m thankful the guide knows where we are going.

On the Isle of Capri, the drive from the town of Capri up to Anacapri is truly breathtaking. Exiting the vehicle in Anacapri, I have a choice. I can either take the single-seated ski lift to the top of Anacapri or not. The thought of dangling dozens of feet off the ground on the steep ride is daunting, but I am promised many photo opportunities when I reach the summit. Convinced, I wait my turn for my personal ski lift and then I am off! Gliding over the trees and houses on the ascent isn’t as scary as I had imagined. Floating over the landscape actually feels freeing, like I can reach out and touch the sky. From the top, the view is incredibly more than I could have ever dreamed!

Navigating life without the truth of the Bible and the Holy Spirit is like navigating a winding, switchback road with no road map, posted signs, or guard rails. Scary at least and perhaps even dangerous to ourselves and others, we accept beliefs as our own without vetting them against Scripture. When we live life with beliefs we haven’t stacked up against the Bible, when our thoughts are untested by the Holy Spirit, we can too easily hurt and judge others by dishing out what we believe is the truth, rather than showing them God’s grace. We can easily become intolerant of others’ ideas, even those of other believers, when we believe we alone know truth. Only God has the corner market on truth.

When we don’t live in God’s truth, we also deny ourselves the life we are called to live. In John 10:10, Jesus says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Some translations use the word “abundant” instead of full. Living this full and abundant life will evade us if we don’t spend time in God’s truth and really understand it. We will miss out on God’s many blessings in our own lives. We’ll lose sight of the life we are called to live, kingdom living here and now.

In John 8:31-32, Jesus says, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Understanding the truth of Scripture with the help of the Holy Spirit frees us to be who God wants us to be, free to live and love out of the abundance of God’s grace, free to live a forgiven life because Jesus has already paid for our sins. We’re free to live in peace, without anxiety, without fear. We can have the abundant life Jesus talks about, a life full of the fruit of the Spirit:  love, joy, peace patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (see Galatians 5:22-23). We’re unencumbered as we run the race of life, throwing off everything that hinders to run freely to the finish line of heaven. (See Hebrews 12:1-3.)

Like the road to Anacapri, we can navigate best when we have a guide who knows the truth of where we are going. Traveling the often-winding road of life with the knowledge of Scripture and the help of the Holy Spirit enables us to experience freedom, to live without fear, to live without judgment, and to live in grace and peace with ourselves and others. We don’t need a chairlift to the top. All we need is God’s Spirit living in us and beliefs that come from God and His Word.
 
 
Lord, You alone are Truth. May the grace of Your Truth set me free, free from fear, and free to love You and those You’ve placed in my life without judgment. May I live the abundant life by Your Spirit living in me. Amen.
 
 
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Text and photograph copyright © 2018 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo from the summit of Anacapri on the isle of Capri, Italy.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.  Psalm 25:4-5
 
 
If, ten years ago, someone had told me I’d be divorced twice, I would have told them they clearly were speaking to the wrong person. Divorce wasn’t even in my vocabulary… until it happened to me.
 
I’m not proud of the fact I have experienced divorce twice. As a matter of fact, shame has a way of creeping in when I least expect it. The key verse for today has become particularly meaningful to me. I pray for God to show me His ways and guide me in His truth. My hope is not in my circumstances, but in God who is good and faithful. While I continue to work through my own issues, I can honestly say that in the process, I have learned much about myself and also about what God has to say about divorce. And what I have discovered has surprised me.
 
Ingrained in our Christian culture is the notion that marriage is forever, regardless of its quality or the impact it has on the individual. So, too is the idea that divorce is a sin and anyone who divorces is a sinner. I have often felt judged by other believers who perhaps considered themselves superior for having “successful” marriages. I have been surprised by the curiosity of believing friends who wanted to know the details of the marriage and divorce, as if they were playing judge and needed to decide which side to choose.
 
A good marriage never ends in divorce. Wedding vows have already been broken before one partner chooses to separate. Perhaps ending a bad marriage is a sign of strength, a desire for healing and wholeness that overshadows the need to uphold the institution of marriage for the sake of the institution. Someone going through a divorce is hurting already, regardless of the circumstances. We don’t need to add insult to injury by creating blame and shame.
 
What I discovered, through studying the Scriptures on marriage and divorce, is that nowhere in the Bible does God say divorce is a sin. In fact, God uses the analogy of divorce in Jeremiah 3 in the context of Israel’s unfaithfulness to Him, saying He will write Israel a certificate of divorce. We know that God is holy and cannot sin Himself. Yet if a holy God can hypothetically divorce His people, how can divorce be sinful?
 
The Christian culture has a long-standing habit of taking verses out of context. One such verse is Malachi 2:16. Some translations of this verse say that God hates divorce. This idea has been extrapolated to mean that God hates all divorces and consequently God hates the divorcée and further, that divorce is a sin. When we put Malachi 2:16 into context, however, we see a totally different meaning. The Hebrew word for divorce in Malachi 2:16 means “putting away”. In Matthew 5:31-32 (see my last post), we see a culture where the men were putting away their wives without giving them a certificate of divorce. This practice was happening, too, about 400 years earlier as recorded by the prophet Malachi. The men in Malachi’s time were wondering why God didn’t accept their offerings and bless them. God, through Malachi, reminded them they had sent their wives away, mostly on a whim, without any financial support. God was not going to bless them for their hurtful behavior. In their culture, where women did not have the right to work, refusing to support their wives reduced the women to poverty or prostitution.
 
God is saying in Malachi that He hates it when husbands discard their wives and do not give them a written certificate of divorce and provide no financial support. In that culture, without this certificate, a divorced woman could not legally marry again and become financially supported by a new husband. God is saying this practice is wrong. Malachi 2:16 is not a blanket statement against all divorce, but rather deals with a very specific and prevalent practice in Biblical-era culture.
 
Throughout Scripture, we see a God who loves His people, who particularly helps those who are oppressed and hopeless. In the New Testament, we see Jesus loving the unlovable, helping the helpless, and healing the hurting. I’ve come to realize that God does truly love those trapped in a bad marriage more than He loves the institution of marriage itself.
 
Again, there is no verse in the Bible that says divorce is a sin. There is, however, a verse that is very clear on what our attitude should be about divorce and other divisive, emotionally-charged topics. Matthew 7:1-2 says, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
 
I wonder what our world would look like and what an example Christians could be if we practiced this verse. What would happen if we humbly acknowledged that, except for God’s grace, anyone can experience divorce? How would our relationships improve if we fully grasped that divorce is not a sin, but rather the opportunity to journey to wholeness and healing? May we come alongside those experiencing divorce with love and support, rather than blame and shame. May we be Jesus’ hands and feet to a hurting world.
 
 
Lord, I thank You for the truth found in Your Word. Guide me in Your truth each day. Thank You for Your love and grace in the journey. Amen.
 
 
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Text and photograph copyright © 2018 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of Broken Arrow Trail, Sedona, Arizona.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

“It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.  Matthew 5:31-32
 
 
In the last post, I wrote about holding our beliefs up to the light of Scripture to see if what we believe is actually true. Today’s post is an example of how context is key. We have to keep verses in context in order to fully understand their meaning and their application to our lives.
 
Today’s key verses from the Gospel of Matthew are part of what is commonly referred to as the “Sermon on the Mount” where Jesus is teaching His followers about what kind of character we are to have and how we are to relate to God and to others.
 
In these two short verses, Jesus addresses three issues He saw in their culture at that time. The first issue was that husbands were divorcing their wives on a whim, without cause. Secondly, when a husband divorced his wife, he did not always give her a certificate of divorce. Thirdly, men sometimes sent away their first wives and then lived with another, usually another man’s wife or a prostitute.
 
In Bible times, women had no rights, not even the right to work. They were considered property. We know from many verses in the Bible that widows were a point of concern in their society because they could not support themselves. Likewise, a divorced woman had no means of financially providing for herself. Women were completely financially dependent on the men in their lives – husbands, if they were married, sons, if they were widowed. If there were no men in her family to financially care for her, most likely a woman’s only means of survival was prostitution.
 
It’s important to note that the word “divorce” in these verses is the Greek word “apoluo” which means “to put away”, not to obtain a legal divorce. It means the husband threw his wife out of the house without good reason and without a legal certificate of divorce.
 
So what is Jesus saying in these verses? Regarding the first of the three issues identified earlier, Jesus is saying that divorce should be based on a significant reason or cause, not on a whim. Secondly, if a man puts away his wife and does not give her a certificate of divorce, they are not legally divorced. She cannot remarry to find financial support in another husband because she is still married to her first husband. If she does remarry (illegally), she would be guilty of adultery and so would her new husband. If she doesn’t remarry, her only option to financially support herself would be prostitution, which again would cause her be an adulteress since she is still married. Jesus is saying the husband needs to give his wife a certificate of divorce so she can legally remarry. In the third issue, the phrase “except for sexual immorality” does not refer to a reason for divorce, but rather to the situation where the man was already in an adulterous relationship. Jesus is saying that the relationship should end, but no certificate of divorce is required since there is no marriage to begin with. The “exception” mentioned is regarding the need for a certificate of divorce.
 
Note that Jesus never lists the valid reasons for divorce nor are any listed elsewhere in Scripture. Perhaps this is because each marital relationship is unique and there could be any number of reasons for cause. Now that we have dug into these verses today, we need to ask ourselves if we’ve misapplied them in the past. Are we quick to quip “the only valid reason for divorce is adultery”? Or have we stated “there are only four valid reasons for divorce, the four A’s:  adultery, addition, abuse, and abandonment”? Are we guilty of holding others in judgment for divorces for reasons other than adultery? The Bible is pretty clear we are not to judge others (see Matthew 7:1-2) and that God alone judges the heart (see 1 Samuel 16:7).
 
What about those of us who are divorced? Have we been racked with guilt because our divorce wasn’t the result of adultery? If so, do you find the truth in these verses liberating and even healing?
 
When we take Bible verses out of context, we may, like the Pharisees in Jesus’ day, put burdens on others because of our erroneous interpretations. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Jesus came to fulfill the Law of the Old Testament and usher in an era of grace. Keeping verses in context is key in discovering truth, God’s truth that allows us to grow in grace and extend grace to others. May it be so.
 
Dear Jesus, thank You for Your Word that teaches me how to love You and others better. May I read Your Word in context to understand clearly what You want me to learn. May I grow in love and grace. In Your Name I pray, Amen.
 
 
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Text and photograph copyright © 2018 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of daisies near Roussillon in the Vaucluse, Provence, France.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”  Matthew 22:37-40
 
 
I’ve always been a big fan of old movies. Even as a teen, I watched movies from the 1930’s, 1940’s, and 1950’s. One of my favorites is Roman Holiday, starring Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn. Set in Rome, as the title suggests, the plot involves a princess from a foreign country who dutifully fulfills her obligations in each city she visits until she arrives in Rome. No longer able to cope with her role of duty, she escapes the embassy and meets a handsome American who shows her the sights of Rome. In one scene, Gregory Peck sticks his hand into a marble sculpture called the “Mouth of Truth”. According to legend, if you place your hand inside the mouth, this ancient mask of a man’s face has the power to cut off your hand if you are lying. Gregory Peck decides to play a joke on Audrey Hepburn and when he removes his hand from the Mouth of Truth, he cleverly hides his hand in his sleeve. Her scream at seeing his handless arm is totally unscripted and the director included this humorous improv scene in the movie.
 
On a beautiful, warm day after visiting the Colosseum in Rome, we stopped by a nearby church. Not quite as dark and sinister as depicted in the movie, the Mouth of Truth is built into the church’s exterior wall. Queued up to see this popular tourist site was a line of people, who, all in their turn, were able to stick their hands into the carved mouth and have their photo taken by friends and family. When it was our turn, I tentatively placed my hand into the Mouth of Truth and am happy to report I escaped unscathed.
 
In today’s society, there is no Mouth of Truth to distinguish truth from lies. How do we discern truth? In particular, how do we learn to live by the truth? What makes up the beliefs and values that guide how we live?
 
When we believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, His Spirit becomes real to us. This Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, speaks God’s truth into our lives. When we read the Bible, we have the Spirit to help us understand what we are reading and to help us apply biblical truths to our lives.
 
Sometimes, perhaps because of the fast pace of life, we sacrifice time with God for other competing priorities. We take shortcuts that end up by-passing time spent in God’s truth. The “herd mentality” creeps in and we start to believe what others around us believe, even what other Christians believe, without taking the time to vet those thoughts and beliefs against Scripture. We are called to know what we believe and why we believe it. This involves careful study of God’s Word with the help of the Holy Spirit.

How much of our Christian “culture” consists of beliefs that we internalize as our own without ever really thinking about what we believe and stacking it up against Scripture? As I go deeper into my own beliefs, exploring with the help of the Spirit of Truth, I’m surprised to find that much of what we believe as Christians really isn’t in the Bible at all. Yet, we hold these beliefs up as truth and allow them to impact our thoughts, words, and actions, often using them to judge other people. I’m not referring to the tenets of the Christian faith, such as Jesus’ atoning death on the cross. But rather, beliefs like “God hates divorce” and “adultery is the only valid reason for divorce”, are among the many beliefs we often hold that are not found in Scripture. Typically, these “untruths” get their start in Bible verses ripped out of context. (Stay tuned for further exploration in future blogs.)

When asked by a Pharisee, one of the religious leaders of the day, what the greatest commandments are, Jesus’ reply in Matthew 22:37-40 was probably pretty startling to His followers and to the Pharisees who were accustomed to their long list of 613 actual rules. Jesus says we are to love the Lord our God with all our hearts and to love our neighbors as ourselves. These are the greatest commandments, the most important truths and guiding principles by which we are to live. Perhaps if we start there, all other true beliefs will fold in under these. Maybe if we keep these two commandments tucked into our hearts and minds, our attitudes and actions would indeed reflect the love of the Triune God and bear witness to the One who is the Living Truth, through His Spirit living within us.
 
 
Lord, help me to seek Your truth and grant me wisdom and grace to apply it to my life. Give me the courage and strength to live Your truth out in my life every day. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
 
 
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Text and photograph copyright © 2018 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the Mouth of Truth (Bocca della Verità), Santa Maria in Cosmedin Church, Rome, Italy.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay.  Ruth 1:16b
 
 
In the book of Ruth, we read a beautiful story about loyalty as well as loss and new beginnings. A famine forces Naomi to move with her husband and sons from Bethlehem to the land of Moab. Ten years or so later, tragedy strikes when Naomi loses her husband and both her sons. She decides to travel back to Bethlehem. Ruth, her daughter-in-law, chooses to go with Naomi, saying “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay.” I love Ruth’s loyalty to her mother-in-law and her tenacity in standing firm in her decision to go with Naomi. The happy ending is heart-warming and we see God’s hand at work throughout this story. But often I read the book of Ruth and overlook Naomi’s own transformation.
 
When she arrives back at her home in Bethlehem, Naomi tells her friends not to call her Naomi anymore. She renames herself “Mara” which means bitter. She says in Ruth 1:21a, “I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty.” Naomi places the blame squarely on God for her emptiness. Her grief blinds her to the fact that even though she has suffered significant losses, she has gained a daughter-in-law who is fiercely loyal to her. When she honestly acknowledges she is now empty, Naomi faces a broken part of herself. Only then is God’s power unleashed to bring Naomi from the depths of despair to a place of healing and hope. The happy ending (spoiler alert!) is Ruth marries a godly man named Boaz and they have a child who grows up to become the grandfather of King David. Naomi rejoices in how God has so abundantly provided for her. She is no longer the bitter woman she was at the beginning of the story.
 
Traveling to a foreign country recently reminded me of this engaging story of Ruth and Naomi. I know when I travel that God goes with me. In Matthew 28:20b, as Jesus is ascending into heaven after the resurrection, the last thing He tells His disciples is “…surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Ruth, in a way, is a Christ-figure, promising Naomi that she will go wherever Naomi goes, that she will not leave her. In my travels, I have learned that Jesus goes with me, too, wherever I go. He will not leave me. I do not need to be afraid.
 
I have also come to realize that wherever I go, there I am. Like Naomi, I pack my insecurities, anxieties, and brokenness and bring those with me when I take off on a trip. I fool myself into thinking that only the new me, the brave one, the one who doesn't let fear rule her life, will be taking this trip. But the rest of me is there, too. Travel creates discovery. But is it discovery of outward sights or inward insights? In traveling half-way around the world, I come face-to-face with myself.
 
Yet, bit by bit, the baggage becomes lighter. Like Naomi, I am transformed when I face my brokenness and allow God’s power to be unleashed in me. God works in and through me, to change me and to make me into a better version of myself. Just like in Naomi’s case, He takes the circumstances and experiences and weaves them in a way that makes my life fuller and richer. May I, like Naomi and her friends, give praise to the Lord for the transformation He has brought about in my life.
 
What baggage of your own do you carry around with you? Under what circumstances do you come face-to-face with who you are? Allow God’s transforming power to be unleashed in you. I invite you to completely trust the God who loves you, who has your best in mind, and who redeems all your losses as He transforms you into a better “you”.
 
 
Dear Jesus, I thank You and praise You that wherever I go, You go with me. On the journey of life, may I be transformed by Your love into a better version of me. May I see Your hand at work in my life through loss and redemption, through brokenness and healing. Amen.
 
 
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Text and photograph copyright © 2018 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of Monarch butterfly on a zinnia.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:  The old has gone, the new is here!  2 Corinthians 5:17
 
 
One morning I was reading a devotional book by Sheila Walsh*. She wrote about a time in her life many years ago when she was admitted to a psychiatric hospital because of depression. The doctor asked her who she was. She replied with her name. Again, he asked her who she was, and this time she named her career. The third time he asked who she was, she whispered, “I don’t know.”
 
We don’t have to suffer from depression to struggle with knowing who we are. How do we identify ourselves? Is it by what we do for a living or who we are as a person? In this craziness called life, we wear multiple “hats” and juggle numerous tasks. We are so busy doing that we forget to just “be”.
 
Or perhaps the present moment isn’t the issue. Maybe it’s the past. Is there a mistake from your past that haunts you years later, that somehow defines who you are? Regrets, those “if only” moments we wish we could change, do not have to define us. Our past is but one chapter in our life. What we take with us from the past shapes our future. We have more control over what shapes our future than we realize. Take the good, healthy parts of the past into the future, but give the regretful past its proper place and leave it there, in the past.
 
2 Corinthians 5:17 is a hopeful verse that speaks to who we are in Christ. Believing that Jesus Christ saved us from all our past, present, and future mistakes, including our regrets, sets us free to be made new. Jesus transforms us into who He wants us to be, who He created us to be. In this present and future place, we are free to take on His character, to be more like Him.
 
How often do you take a moment to not “do” but to just “be”? When do you check in with yourself and explore your passions, dreams, and desires? Psalm 46:10 tells us to be still and know that God is God. When we still the inner chatter, we can hear God’s whisper. We can discern His calling to perhaps step out onto a new path and try something new, to become the best of who we are. Romans 12:2 says we are to test and approve what God’s will is. Testing implies stepping out in faith and turning doorknobs to see which doors open to us.
 
What defines you? Who I am in Christ defines me. I am also the sum total of my passions, dreams, and desires, along with the talents, abilities, and spiritual gifts which God has given me. Acknowledging that my faith, my love for my children and extended family, the desire to experience deep friendships, the strive for excellence in whatever I do, my appreciation for the arts, my passion for travel, my sense of humor, all define me. For me, my “still” moments have often come while traveling. It is in those moments of stepping out of fear and into a new culture without all the familiar props that I become face-to-face with my real myself. That's when I know who I am. But more importantly, I know whose I am.
 
At the end of Sheila’s story, as she leaves the hospital, the doctor asks her again, “Who are you?” Sheila replies confidently that she is Sheila Walsh and she is a daughter of the King of Kings. We, too, can say with confidence that we are children of the King of Kings. We are a new creation in Christ. The old has gone and the new has come. As we begin a new year, may we be still long enough to hear God’s whispers of love to us, calling us to leave our past behind and to embrace a new chapter in life, to shed regrets of the past, and to step out into a new future. Praise be to God!
 
 
God, you are the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. May you quiet me with Your love as I take time out of a busy schedule to seek Your face. Show me the way I should go and who you want me to be along the way. Make me more like Jesus every day. Amen.
 
 
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Text and photograph copyright © 2017 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of tulip from Drumlanrig Castle, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.
 
* Sheila Walsh, 5 Minutes with Jesus:  Making Today Matter, published by Thomas Nelson, 2015.
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™