He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.  Psalm 46:10-11
 
 
As I walk along the street, the noise is distracting. Students on lunch break lounge on the sidewalks, chattering away, with music blaring in the background. Engines rev as the cars and motorcycles pass by. The tiered bell tower rises sharply above the multiple roof lines. I circle the perimeter taking photos as I go. After coming full circle, I enter through the side door. Organ music wafts through the air. Immediately I feel its magic working on me. As I walk toward the front and look upward, I’m struck by how large and imposing the interior is. The nave is simple but beautiful. The tall barrel-vaulted ceiling supported by numerous narrow-arched columns creates a sense of majesty. Hovering above the ornate altar is a pastel fresco that portrays Jesus, the One who is above all. This is truly a holy place. I sit quietly in one of the pews and pray, asking God to show me what He wants me to learn here in this moment. I experience palpable peace flooding my soul. The tranquility inside is juxtaposed against the noisy exterior from which I had just escaped.
 
Built in the Romanesque style, the Basilica of Saint-Sernin sits where it has for centuries in Toulouse, France. Consecrated in 1096, it is the largest Romanesque-styled church in Europe. Its thick rose brick and white stone walls – strong, heavy, and solid - were built to withstand both the elements and enemies over the years. Its interior, as equally imposing as its exterior, is softly lit by sunlight streaming through its narrow windows. Multiple candelabras intensify the ethereal light in this vast expanse. The strains of organ music wrap around this sacred space. This stillness, this holiness permeates my mind and soul.
 
When it’s not possible to travel to a faraway basilica, how do we re-center our perspective on our everyday lives? Where do we go to escape the busyness, the craziness of life, even for a few minutes? Are we willing to pull away from an overloaded to-do list long enough to sit with the Living God? When life is noisy on the outside, how do we find the calmness of faith within?
 
In Psalm 46, we read of external disasters, earthquakes, and wars. Verse 2 says that even if the mountains fall into the sea, we don’t need to be afraid. God is our refuge. He is our strong fortress. God is the God over the daily chaos and chatter, over circumstances gone awry, over difficult relationships. In verse 10, God entreats us to enter into the sanctuary. When we intentionally take time out to meet God in the inner sanctum, God stills our souls. Realizing that God is both omnipotent and omniscient, we have no reason to fear or to worry. We can enjoy peace because God is in control. Verse 11 says “The LORD Almighty is with us.” His presence enables us to move out into the din again, only this time with an inner peace that cannot be shaken.
 
 
Lord, help me slow down and re-center myself in You. I want to find the peace that so often eludes me in my busy day. Draw near to me as I seek to draw near to You. Still my soul as I sit still before You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
 
 
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Text and photographs copyright © 2018 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photos of the Basilica Saint-Sernin, Toulouse, 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.™

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:6-7
 
 
I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Something felt unsettling. While preparing for an extended trip that would span several weeks, I couldn't shake the anxiety. With so many things to do even before I began packing, it was difficult to distinguish the stress of having too much to do from the anxiety about the actual trip. Having traveled many times, particularly in the last several years, I was surprised this pervasive emotion seemed to spread like a sickness through my mind and body.
 
About a week before my trip, a close friend asked me if I was OK. She was concerned that I wasn't my usual self. In that moment, I realized how much anxiety and stress controlled my mind, my attitude, and my countenance.
 
As the trip grew closer, I asked several friends and family members to pray for me. Even the morning of my departure, I claimed the key verse for today. Praying against anxious thoughts and praying for God's peace helped calm my heart. Knowing others were praying for me gave me courage.
 
I remembered God's faithfulness in the past. I thought back to other travels where I knew God was with me wherever I went. I knew in my head that He would be with me again. But my heart still needed convincing.
 
As I stood outside my home with suitcases in tow waiting for my Uber ride, I realized God had already shown up. I had woken up 32 minutes before my alarm. God's timing is perfect. Without those extra minutes, I would have been frantic trying to get ready on time. Instead I had a few minutes to spare, a few minutes to relax and reflect.
 
Moments later as I chatted with the Uber driver, he asked me the reason for my travel. I responded that I am an inspirational writer and travel photographer. When I shared I am the author of a couple of books and also numerous blogs, he asked for the website name. As I handed him my business card, he handed me his. God had shown up again! The Uber driver was also a pastor. I felt like God was sitting in the driver's seat. Obviously, He wasn’t but again I was reminded of His presence.
 
As I contemplated my conversation with the kind Uber driver, I knew God was with me. Before I left my neighborhood, God was already vying for my attention to let me know He was with me and would be with me wherever I would go. I realized anxious thoughts have no place in a mind filled with God's peace and presence.
 
No matter where you are in your own journey, God is with you and will go with you wherever you go. Give your anxious thoughts up to Him in prayer. Fill your mind with verses like today’s key verse. Go forward in His peace and presence.
 
 
Lord, help me turn to You first when I feel anxious and overwhelmed. May I give my requests to You with thanksgiving, remembering Your faithfulness in the past. Fill my mind with Your Word to overcome my anxious thoughts. Help me live fully in the present and step into the future with my heart and my head filled with Your peace. Amen.
 
 
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Text and photograph copyright © 2018 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the Dordogne River at La Roque-Gageac in southwestern France.
 
Note:  Anxiety disorders are common in our culture. Prayer is a powerful tool to use against anxious thoughts. For pervasive anxiety, praying for the right therapeutic solution is appropriate. Sometimes therapy and/or medication are necessary to work in tandem with prayer.
 
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.™

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Romans 5:6-8
 
 
The beach looked like any ordinary beach. The beige sand squished beneath my feet as I walked closer to the water. The large grey rocks behind me belied the historical significance. I felt transported back into time and into a place foreign to me. Yet, as I stood there, I felt a part of something bigger, something larger than myself, and something of great magnitude.
 
The place was Omaha Beach on the shore of Normandy, France, just days before the 74th anniversary of D-Day. Soldiers from the 82nd Airborne division moved silently where their ancestral comrades lived and died. From where I stood, I could see all the flags of the Allied countries being raised one at a time while the strains of each country’s national anthem played in the background. It was a poignant scene.
 
As the music to The Star-Spangled Banner reached my ears and my eyes beheld the stars and stripes rising on the tall flag pole, more than a lump caught in my throat. To me, D-Day and World War II had been something in the past and not my own past. Standing on Omaha Beach that day, I sensed the significance in a way that no history book could impart. My heart broke for the thousands of soldiers who died, particularly in those first two days during the Battle of Normandy. To them who fought the ocean current only to be struck down before they reached the shore, I gave a silent prayer of thankfulness for their lives and sacrifice as well as for the many who were laid to rest not far from where they fell and from where I stood. As my eyes blurred with tears, I realized the true cost of freedom. Without those brave soldiers and paratroopers who faced death so that those they had never met would be free struck a chord deep within me. As a turning point in World War II, the Battle of Normandy was incredibly significant. And it reminded me of something else even more significant.
 
Freedom doesn’t come cheap. Just as the sacrifices made on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day and beyond freed the French people and turned the tide of a maniacal dictator and perhaps preserved the freedom of the rest of the Western world, the sacrifice of Jesus and His death on a cross frees us. Dying a criminal’s death, Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we can know God, not as just a deity in the sky but as a personal Lord and Savior. Jesus purchased our freedom, freedom from the entanglement of sin, freedom to know and love God in a personal way, freedom to live life more fully, and freedom to live with God throughout all eternity.
 
In the sacredness of that moment on Omaha Beach, God touched my heart in an unexpected way. The cost of freedom is heavy. I am so thankful for those who gave their lives so that others would be free, for those who suffered injuries in the name of freedom, and for those who survived but carried the horrors of war home in their memories.

Yes, the cost of freedom is expensive. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the Savior who died for each of us to purchase our freedom. Thanks be to God for His undying love for us that in dying for us, He saved us and set us free.
 
 
Lord, thank You for paying the price for my freedom so that I am set free, free to love and worship You, free to live with You for all eternity. May I never take for granted the cost of freedom. Amen.
 
 
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Text and photograph copyright © 2018 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of Omaha Beach and Les Braves Monument by sculptor Anilore Banon, Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, Normandy, 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.™

“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  John 4:13-14
 
 
She stumbles forward in the heat of the day. Alone. Thirsty, parched, and tired under the burden she carries. Little does she know who is waiting for her. He, knowing she would be there, travels off the usual route to ensure they meet.
 
In this familiar passage from John 4, Jesus intentionally travels through Samaria instead of around it and stops at Jacob’s well. It’s the middle of the day and hot. A woman hurries forward towards the well, as if she doesn’t want to be seen. Carrying a large water jar, she pauses, noticing Jesus and realizing He is watching her. He, a Jew, initiates conversation with her, a Samaritan woman. How surprised she is to realize he is addressing her! He asks her for a drink and moments later, she is asking Him for water, for she is thirsty, both physically and spiritually. Jesus offers her living water, water that will quench her thirst, that will satisfy the longings of her heart.
 
Although the source of physical water in this Biblical account is found in an ancient well, often in Bible times, water was housed in cisterns. Each home had its own cistern, a reservoir that collected water, often rain water. Cisterns were constructed of stone, usually excavated from rock. Filled with water, cisterns provided the necessity of life for people in this arid climate.
 
Cisterns fulfilled their purpose until they developed cracks. When the water leaked out, the cistern was no longer usable. Instead, often these dry cisterns were used to hold prisoners, like Joseph in Genesis 37.
 
How much like these cisterns are we? Do we become cracked and dry, unable to hold water, the purpose for which we were made? Do our “wells” run dry due to busyness? Are we pursuing dreams of success, power, wealth? Are we chasing after beauty and the fountain of youth? Are we running after love and acceptance? If so, perhaps the pursuit leaves us drained, unsatisfied, and empty.
 
The woman at the well can relate. She has been pursuing love and acceptance only to find herself ostracized and lonely, not even comfortable drawing water from the well with the other women in the cool of the day. Jesus meets her where she is. He has compassion on her brokenness. He offers her the living water of eternal life so she will never thirst. She is changed and becomes light and hope to her village as she runs off to share the good news.
 
Jesus longs to fill us with His living water, water that will never leave us thirsty, water that satisfies like nothing else can. His love can heal the broken places so we can hold the living water, even to overflowing to others around us, in hopes that they, too, might offer their own cracked cisterns up to Jesus to heal and fill them. Jesus came so that we might have life, true life, and have it to the full, overflowing with love for God and love for others. Instead of pursuing that which will never satisfy, pursue the One who will fill you to overflowing. And that, my friend, is the only thirst worth quenching.
 
 
Lord, You are the Living Water and You long to fill me with Your love and presence. Heal the broken places in me and fill me to overflowing so that others may see You and Your compassionate and redeeming work in my life and want Your living water for themselves. Amen.
 
 
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Text and photograph copyright © 2018 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of Wahkeena Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon.
 
 
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.™

When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”  Luke 7:13
 
 
Compassion is an under-rated feeling, perhaps a lost art. In a day and age where every day brings news of atrocities committed and lives lost or maimed, sometimes we find ourselves more than a wee bit anesthetized to pain and suffering.
 
Dictionary.com defines compassion as “a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.” The first part of this definition defines what we feel when we see or hear about someone in pain. The latter part of this definition, though, is more than a feeling:  it’s a strong desire that leads us to action, to do something to help those in need.
 
In the seventh chapter of Luke, Jesus and His friends walk a good day’s journey from Capernaum south to the town of Nain. It’s probably dusk when Jesus and His followers, mostly numbered in the hundreds, reach the city entrance. Dusk was the time of day funerals would be held and the dead buried far outside the city gates. Tired and hungry from their journey, they approach Nain just at the time a funeral procession is leaving the city for the burial caves. Jesus, ever aware of His physical surroundings and the emotional landscape of people He encounters, realizes the body on the bier is a young man who is survived only by his mother. In Biblical times, women didn’t have the right to financially support themselves. Instead, the men in their lives provided monetarily. Since her husband died, this woman, like other widows in this culture, depended on her son to take care of her financially. Without a husband and now without her son, this widow’s future looks very bleak. Jesus, knowing all of this, has compassion for her. In verse 13 we read these words, “When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, ‘Don’t cry.’ “
 
Jesus walks up to the bier and touches it. The pall bearers stop. The crowd’s collective breath is on hold as they watch wide-eyed, waiting in suspense for what will happen next. In a loud and clear voice, Jesus commands the young man to get up. Imagine the widow’s shock as she sees her son sit up and start talking. The pall bearers lower the bier and Jesus helps the young man to stand and walks him over to his overjoyed mother. The onlookers are amazed and immediately give credit to God for this miracle they have just witnessed.
 
The raising of the widow’s son is the first instance of Jesus raising someone from the dead. I am awed by His power, but I am overcome by His compassion. Tired from His journey, Jesus saw the funeral procession as an opportunity, not an interruption. He looked beyond the physical circumstances to see a widow’s broken heart. He went beyond mere words of “Don’t cry” to the helping and healing hands of action.
 
When Jesus saw the widow, the Bible says “his heart went out to her”. He felt compassion deep inside. His caring touch raised her son from the dead and His guiding hand brought her son back to her.
 
Jesus is the God of Compassion. His compassions never fail. They are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). Jesus sees into our pain, has compassion on us, and has the power to transform our mourning into dancing (Psalm 30:11-12). He isn’t too busy or uncaring. Jesus sees, cares, and heals. He is the very definition of compassion. Let Him bind up your wounds. He loves you so.
 
 
Lord, I am truly overwhelmed by Your compassion. Thank You for binding up my wounds and for turning my mourning into dancing. Help me to follow Your example in not only feeling compassionate towards others, but actively showing compassion to those who need Your healing touch. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
 
 
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Text and photograph copyright © 2018 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of Mount Rundle at sunset, Alberta, Canada.
 
 
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.™

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.  Isaiah 43:19
 
 
How many times did you hear growing up that children should be “seen and not heard”? There were too many times for me to count. I can’t think of my childhood, though, without thinking of my two brothers. Logan, the older one, was born less than two years after I was. We were close growing up, not just in age, but in interests, particularly as we became teens.
 
In 2009, Logan suffered a massive heart attack and immediately passed away. Only in his forties, his death was a horrible shock to me, to our family, and to his wife and children. There was no chance to say good-bye. One day I was talking to him on the phone and the next week, I was attending his memorial service.
 
Many times, I have felt as if I were wandering around in the barren desert, parched and dry. Like the Israelites who camped out in the wilderness for forty years, I can relate to at least some of their despair.
 
In our key verse, Isaiah 43:19, God speaks through the prophet Isaiah with imagery from that desert trek Moses and the Israelites endured so many years before. God tells the Israelites to forget the past, even the miraculous deliverance from Egypt when God parted the Red Sea, because He is doing something even more incredible. This text is a prophecy of the coming Messiah, Jesus, who would be the salvation to all, to the Jews and to the Gentiles, to all who believed. The imagery of a way made in the wilderness suggests that Christ will be the way for lost people in the world’s wilderness, particularly for God to include the Gentiles in His plan for salvation. Streams flowing in the desert signifies not only God’s provision but also the many blessings found in Christ. Like a river overflowing, life with Christ is an abundant one, overflowing with God’s love and care.
 
As Logan’s birthday rolled around this year, I realized a heavy sadness had settled in my soul. Grief will do that, catching us unaware even when we think we’ve been down this road before. As I began my time with the Lord that morning, God spoke to me through an online devotional on hope through grief, one written and posted for that day. At the risk of sounding super-spiritual (I’m not!), as I opened two different devotional books, both the entries for that day spoke on God changing mourning into dancing (Psalm 30:11-12) and God making all things new in Isaiah 43:19. I was overcome with the feeling that God deliberately spoke to me that day, not once, but three times.
 
I’m still not sure why this birthday of Logan’s hit me harder than some of the previous ones, but I do know that God is a God who sees and hears all who call on Him, particularly when they find themselves in the desert or wandering through the wilderness. We have hope because God is making all things new in all ways. God sees our tears. He hears our cries. He came to make a new way for us, one of hope, not despair. Flowing like a stream in the desert, Jesus’ offer of living water (John 4:13-14) totally quenches our thirst like nothing else can, giving us the abundant and everlasting life. As God’s children, we are not just “seen and not heard”. He sees us and He hears us. His love never fails. Thanks be to God.
 
 
Thank You, Jesus, for pouring Yourself out as an offering in order to offer us the spiritually abundant life now and eternal life for always. I praise You and thank You for seeing me, hearing me, and loving me, no matter what the circumstances surrounding me. Amen.
 
 
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Text and photograph copyright © 2018 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of Marble Canyon, British Columbia, Canada.
 
 
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.™

“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.™