Michele Huey's Blog: God, Me, and a Cup of Tea, page 60

Finding Lulu

          
“Consider the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” – Jesus, as quoted in Matthew 6:26 NIV
      
      
My son and grandson were riding along a country road last Sunday when they spied a yellow-plumed bird alongside the road—a lone cockatiel, apparently abandoned. When they got home and told my daughter-in-law, Rachael made them go back and get it. Never mind that their house is home to two dogs and two cats, not to mention the horse, pony, goat and chickens in the barn.
      
“How could you leave it there all by itself?” she chastised them.
      
And so “Lulu’ became a temporary member of the household. Fortunately (for my son, who did not want to add another member to the menagerie) Rachael found someone willing to give Lulu a permanent home.
      
“Aren’t you afraid it’ll fly away?” I asked when Rachael brought Lulu up for me to see.
      
“Her wings are clipped,” Rachael explained. “She can’t fly.”
      
How would she have escaped a predator if she couldn’t wing her way to safety?
      
The next day Rachael brought Lulu to visit again. “I found a home for her.” One of the teachers at my grandson’s school wanted her.
      
“But we’re going to keep her for a week.”
      
I could tell she wanted to keep Lulu. For a brief, shining moment I did, too.
      
Imagine—going from unwanted to wanted in a day.
      
Finding Lulu reminded me of an important truth—that God will never abandon us.
      
“Never will I leave you,” He promises. “Never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
      
“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands,” God assures us in Isaiah 49:15–16.
      
There are times you may feel abandoned, wings clipped, alongside a lonely country road or a busy thoroughfare of life. Cars pass you, some occupants glance at you. But no one stops. Even God has forsaken you, you think. He doesn’t care.
      
But you’re wrong. Just because you don’t sense His presence doesn’t mean God isn’t with you. Cling to the promises He gives you in His Word.
      
“What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin?” Jesus says. “But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows” (Matthew 10:29–31 NLT).
      
Repeat to yourself: “I am valuable to God.”
      
And never forget it.
      
      
When I feel as though You’ve abandoned me, Lord, remind me of Your promise: “Surely I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20). Amen.

Special-Tea: Read Matthew 6:25–26  

Truth be told . . .

The ABC’s of knowing God better: the letter “T”
          
And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.”  – Exodus 34:6 NIV
       
“I am the way, the truth, and the life.”  – Jesus, as quoted in John 14:6 NKJV
      
      
I’ve always been one to believe whatever anyone told me. Call me gullible. Call me naïve, but I’m a trusting soul.
      
My mother taught me to always tell the truth, even if it got me into trouble. Like the time my brother, sister, cousin Billy, and I were playing in the backyard, where a green canvas Army tent stood. When my mother called my siblings inside for a few minutes, Billy decided to hide from them.
      
“Don’t tell them where I am,” he said as he slipped into the tent.
      
“I won’t,” I said, feeling awesome that my older cousin trusted me—the youngest of the family—with such important information.
      
When they returned, I put on the most solemn expression I could and said, “Billy isn’t in the tent.”
      
I’ve never been able to lie, and I figured everyone else was wired the same way.
      
But I discovered, to my pain, they aren’t.
      
Like the time my high school boyfriend slipped me a note on the bus coming home from the class picnic at the end of the school year and whispered, “No matter what happens, always remember I love you.”
      
Yeah, right. The note was a “Dear Michele” letter. But I clung to his spoken words throughout that miserable summer even though my heart was broken. Just before the new school year began, I learned he dumped me for a cheerleader.
      
But it didn’t sour me on people. He was just one lying jerk, right?
      
Then in college I got burned again. I was in the dorm lobby with my then-fiancé (who at least told me the truth when he dumped me a year later) waiting for one of the girls in the group I hung around with to return from an errand. It was her birthday, and we’d planned a surprise party. Tammy, one of the gang, told me she’d let me know when the birthday girl came. 
     
So when Tammy came down and said Penny hadn’t returned yet but she’d come get me when she did, I had no reason not to believe her. Turns out she lied. Penny had returned. Tammy went up to the party and told everyone I didn’t want to come. And I wondered for the longest time why I suddenly didn’t have any friends.
      
As a teacher, I learned students were adept at lying—no hint whatever of deceit in their eyes.
      
I’m sure glad there is one person I know who will never lie—because He can’t. It’s not in His nature.
      
“God is not human, that he should lie,” Scripture tells us (Numbers 23:19). He is “abundant in truth” (Exodus 34:6), “a faithful God, without deceit” (Deuteronomy 52:4), and “the God of truth” (Isaiah 65:16). The apostle Paul called Him “the ever truthful God Who cannot deceive” (Titus 1:2).
      
People will deceive us. But God never will.
      
And that’s a truth I can stake my life on.
       
      
Thank you, God, that I can trust what You say and know that You will never break Your promises. Amen.
 Special-Tea: Read Psalm 119:41–48
             
      

Chaos in the kitchen

Put GOD in charge of your work, then what you’ve planned will take place. – Proverbs 16:3 (The Message)
      
My husband makes breakfast on Saturday mornings—and it’s not a bowl of cereal hastily thrown together. No, my sweetie makes eggs—over easy for him, scrambled with cheese for me; diced potatoes fried in olive oil; and either bacon, loose or link sausage, or fried ham. This mid-morning feast is complemented with orange juice, tea and toast. (I think he’s practicing for retirement.)
      
Now, far be it from me to complain when the man wants to make a meal, but Dean’s idea of cooking is tossing it into some grease and letting it splatter. But if he’s going to clean up, that’s fine by me, and most Saturday mornings he does.
      
Last Saturday, however, with the shrinking daylight hours, he wanted to get out and cut firewood as soon as possible. So I agreed to clean up. But after he left, I took one look at the kitchen and groaned. Where to start?
      
There were some dishes in the drying rack. I’d start there. When I opened the drawer to put away the silverware, however, I spied the accumulation of what I call “drawer chips.” Where does all that stuff come from anyway? I couldn’t put clean silverware in dirty baskets. So I dumped all the contents of the drawer on the only clean countertop space I had and put the containers in hot, soapy water to soak.
      
That’s when I spied the potatoes Dean left on the counter by the sink and decided to make crockpot seasoned potatoes for supper. The problem was the small crockpot I wanted to use was in the back of the cupboard where I keep such appliances.


While I was emptying that cupboard, I spied my four-cup coffeemaker and decided to make a cappuccino to put some gas in the tank. I am not a morning person. The problem was I was making it from scratch. Which meant dirtying more dishes—a bowl to heat the milk and sugar in and a hand mixer to whip up the hot, sweet milk into a frothy foam.
      
When I opened the cupboard to get the sugar, I spied the empty pitchers on the counter I’d wanted to put in there but had no room. So I emptied that cupboard, too.
      
Meanwhile, the greasy skillets and dirty dishes waited patiently.
      
Me, I wasn’t so patient. I decided to sprinkle nutmeg and cinnamon on my cappuccino. That’s when I spied the spices, brown sugar, and Crisco I’d bought the day before and left on the counter because I didn’t have room in the spice cupboard.
      
So I emptied that cupboard, too—and found four containers of cornstarch, three of baking powder, two half-empty ones of baking cocoa—some were unopened and most were old. Really old.
      
Then Dean texted me from the woods that he needed more water. Would I fill up a jug and bring it out to him. Sure. Anything to get out of that messy kitchen.
      
When I returned, though, no kitchen fairies had visited to clean up the chaos.
      
“Help!” I shouted on Facebook.
      
My friend Judy Rathmell responded: “Set your timer for 15 mins. and work like crazy - no interruptions - then stop and have a nice cup of tea!”
      
Done! 1 drawer and 3 cupboards ..Wow! I didn’t know I could get so much done in 15 minutes!
     
Life gets like that chaotic kitchen at times, doesn’t it? Sometimes it’s our own mess, sometimes it’s someone else’s, sometimes both. For things to get better, they often have to get worse. And when it gets overwhelming, it’s always nice to have words of wisdom from a friend to guide you and give you some focus.
      
No one will come and in one fell swoop clean up the mess. But you can do it—with words of advice from a wise friend and one cup of tea at a time. 
      
      
When things get overwhelming, Lord, remind me to set the timer! Amen.



Special-Tea: Read Philippians 3:12–14 After the day's work, we enjoyed a campfire supper.

Guest post: Amber Schamel

Unbelievable amounts of fruit
By Amber Schamel
Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. ~James 5:7
 

I volunteer about half my time at a non-profit ranch in the Ozarks. One of the many things I help with is the harvest of pears when they are ready for picking. We went out to the  tree with ladders, baskets, sheets, and set to work. It was absolutely unbelievable how many pears were on that single tree! We picked bushels and bushels of pears until we had them coming out our ears. A lot of pears were eaten before they even reached the house. Some were stored in boxes in the cellar. We froze gallons of them, gave some away, and still some went rotten before they could used. Then there were the pears at the top of the tree that were too high for us to reach. How was it possible for ONE TREE to produce SO MUCH FRUIT?
As we dealt with the abundance of pears, I was reminded of the verse in Galatians:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23 KJV).
If I am like a fruit tree, I want to be like the tree that bears unbelievable amounts. The qualities and character of the believer is their fruit, so what can I do to increase it? As I thought about the tree in the field, a few things came to mind.
A healthy tree needs lots of rain and sunshine.We need to spend time every day in the presence of the Lord, our Son-shine. We immerse ourselves in God's Word and allow His Spirit to rain down upon us, for it is His Spirit living in us that will produce the fruit.
He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.
~Ps. 72:6 A healthy tree needs good soil.The soil is what we are rooted in every day. What do we feed into our mind? Are we meditating on God's Word and His promises, or are we subjecting ourselves to negative thoughts and influences?
 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear (Luke 8:8).
 A healthy tree must give of its fruit.If we didn't harvest the pears from the tree, the fruit would rot and fall off of the tree wasted. The fruit that didn't fall off would rot on the branches, make them heavy, and prevent new fruit from growing there. The same happens to Christians. Our joy, peace, patience, faith, and love is not for keeping to ourselves, but for giving away to others. 
Give to him that asketh of thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away (Matt. 5:42).
Sometimes a healthy tree needs to be pruned.Is there something in my life that is holding me back in my walk with the Lord? Is there an old grudge I need to let go of? Is there something that is not a good influence on my soul that I need to prune out of my mind? 
It can be a lot of work to grow a strong, healthy and fruitful tree, but this fruit has an eternal impact.
 Heavenly Father,
What a wonderful creation you have made! We stand in awe of the beauty we see all around us. I am always amazed at the special ways you etch Yourself into nature. Thank you for teaching us about Your Word through the parable of the pear tree. I pray that You would help me to bear much fruit, to weed out my soil, and to prune away the ungodly things in my life. Rain Your Holy Spirit upon me, I pray. Make me a profitable tree that I may bless Your people and fulfill Your plan.
I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.  
Are you taking good care of your spiritual fruit tree? In what ways do you help keep it healthy?
Bestselling author Amber Schamel writes riveting stories that bring HIStory to life. She has a passion for history, books and her Savior. This combination results in what her readers call "historical fiction at its finest." A homeschool graduate from a family of 12 children, Amber found her calling early in life. First published at age 21, she has continued to hone her craft. Between ministry, family and working in their family businesses, Amber loves to connect with readers. Find her on the Stitches Thru Time blog, or on any of the major social media sites.  

 







Amber is celebrating the October 16th release of her new book The Messiah's Sign with the Name-A-Character Giveaway! Click here or on the logo above to enter to for a chance to pick the name of a main character in Amber's upcoming book The Christmas Pardon. Terms and conditions apply. 

 

The Lord is my Shepherd

The ABC's of knowing God better: the letter "S"



    
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. – Psalm 100:14 NKJV
      
“I am the Good Shepherd.” – Jesus, as quoted in Philippians 4:13 NIV
      
      
Sheep are mentioned in the Bible more than 500 times, more than any other animal. This shouldn’t be too surprising, as sheep were important to the agricultural life of the Hebrews.
      
But sheep are also used symbolically to refer to God’s people. Have you ever wondered why?
      
First of all, sheep are natural followers. Their instinct is to follow the sheep in front of them. When one sheep decides to wander off, the rest of the flock usually follows. Unlike other animals, they are led, not driven. That’s why the shepherd goes before them. If the shepherd were to go behind them, the flock would scatter.
      
Second, sheep are sociable creatures, living in flocks, staying together while grazing. There’s safety in numbers, as predators are less likely to pounce on a group than one solitary, wayward sheep. However, sheep are known to wander from the fold and have no sense of direction when they get lost (sounds like me). When cornered, their instinct is to flee, not fight. Indeed, they don’t have the equipment to fight—no sharp teeth or hooves, for example—and they can’t run very fast. So a lone sheep separated from the flock is a sheep in trouble.
      
Third, sheep can easily become downcast, and if not tended to right away, can die quickly or become dinner for a predator. In his book, A Shepherd Looks at the 23rd Psalm, former shepherd turned lay pastor Phillip Keller describes what it means when a sheep is downcast: “This is an old English shepherd’s term for a sheep that has turned over on its back and cannot get up again by itself. (It is not strong enough.) . . . It is so essential for the shepherd to look over his flock every day, counting them to see that all are able to be up and on their feet.”
      
Sheep are easily frightened and will stampede, which can lead to them piling up against each other and smothering. Sheep will not drink from running water, so the shepherd must find still waters for them to drink from. They never walk in a straight line (me again) and are the only animals that need care 24/7. And, unlike horses and dogs (and probably more like cats), they’re not trainable.
      
But sheep have good traits, too. Their excellent senses, for instance. They recognize and remember faces and their own shepherd’s voice. At night several flocks could be housed together in one pen, but when morning comes, all the shepherd has to do to separate his flock from the rest is to call out to his sheep, and they will follow him out of the pen.
      
The shepherd’s job is to protect and defend his sheep, seek those that wander away. He must know
Image from jesuswallpaper.orghis sheep well, minister to their wounds, rescue them, lead them, all the while being gentle with them.
      
And he never leaves his sheep alone. His abiding presence is their safety, their security, and their salvation.
      
Does any of this sound familiar?
      
We are the sheep of God’s pasture. He will take care of each of us as a good shepherd takes care of his sheep.

      
Thank you, Father, for watching over and taking care of a dumb sheep like me. Amen.

Special-Tea: Read John 10:1–18; Psalm 23

             
      

More meditations from Michele!

It's been 12 years since I published Minute Meditations: Meeting God in Everyday Experiences and I Lift Up My Eyes: Minute Meditations Vol. 2, compilations of my favorite devotionals from my weekly newspaper column (which I've written since 1997). Many have asked when the next book was coming out. 

Now, at long last, it has! God, Me & a Cup of Tea, Vol. 1 (published by Helping Hands Press) is the first e-book in the series of 5, each with 10 devotional readings from my award-winning newspaper column. When all 5 volumes have been published as e-books (for $.99 each), Helping Hands Press will publish them together as a paperback (with all 50).

Click here to download God, Me & a Cup of Tea, Vol. 1 to your Kindle for only $.99. You can also give it as a gift (note the "Give as a Gift" button on the right side of the Amazon page where you click to buy). 

Book Description:

“A cup of inspiration, a spoonful of encouragement, and a generous outpouring of the milk of God’s love” is what Michele Huey serves up with these devotional readings. With poignancy, humor, and refreshing honesty, she opens her heart and her life, using everyday experiences to show the abiding presence of a God who loves us beyond what we could imagine and who wants to be a part of our lives. Based on Scripture, each reading, taken from her award-winning column, God, Me & a Cup of Tea, challenges you to recognize God in your everyday life. Approach each devotional with expectation—and with a cup of tea at your elbow.
  

Comments on Michele's devotional writings:  
“Michele Huey’s gift is to take God’s word and translate it into deep-in-the-trenches, real-life solutions for our everyday problems. In her devotions, she takes us by the hand and shows us how to turn our stresses into joyful nuggets of wisdom that keep us going day after day.” – Patricia Lorenz, inspirational, art-of-living writer and speaker, author of 11 books and top contributing writer to the Chicken Soup for the Soul books
"Thought-provoking and practical. Those are the two words that come to mind in describing the devotional writings of Michele Huey. She is gifted in taking seemingly ordinary, routine life events and turning them into practical spiritual applications. If you want to learn something from the everyday happenings we all face, be sure to read Michele’s meditations.”– Dan Kennard, former General Manager, WDBA, DuBois, Pa.

“I need a voice like Michele’s to speak to the seasons in my soul. She’s honest, practical, and inspired. I love her style.” – Virelle Kidder, author and conference speaker

Snake oil promises

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning. – Lamentations 3:21-23 RSV
      
      
“God has seen you struggling with some things,” the Facebook message to me read, “and God says it's over. A blessing is coming your way….” With just a few clicks of a mouse, the letter claimed, my struggles would be over. And if I didn’t do what it said, I’ve failed a test God sent.
      
Really?
      
I don’t think so.
      
You see, the God I know and love and worship blesses me every single morning—and every moment of every day. He gives me the breath of life, family to love and cherish, food to nourish my body (and satisfy my cravings), a beautiful world to live in, friends to laugh and pray with, meaningful work that fulfills His purpose for me, an open line of communication with Him 24/7 through prayer . . . I could go on and on and on.
      
His blessings never come to an end.
      
Although sometimes we may feel as though they do. When trying circumstances don’t change, no matter that we’ve prayed and prayed and prayed. When we fall on hard times. When our hopes and dreams are smashed or evaporate over time. When we lose something or someone that meant the world to us. When we cry out, “Why, God?” or “Where are You?”
      
God never promised us heaven on earth. It’s what He’d wanted for us when He created the world and placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. But our first parents decided to believe the deceiver, not the God who walked with them and talked with them in that beautiful place where they had everything they needed.
      
And ever since then we humans have been looking for quick fixes to our problems. Even believers fall prey to these snake oil promises. 
      
Passing on such messages with the hope that your situation will change and God will suddenly decide to bless your socks off falls on the side of superstition. These messages use fear, not faith, to ensure their perpetuity.
      
God sees you struggling, but it may not be time to relieve you because your struggle has not yet served its purpose. “We pray for God to change circumstances,” writes renowned Bible teacher Charles Swindoll in his book Insights on John. “He prefers to change us.”
      
This chain letter promises that if you obey the directions tomorrow will be the best day of your life.
      
I don’t think so.
      
You see, today—this moment—is the best of your life. Because God is in it. He is here. He cares for you and what You’re going through. You’re the apple of His eye (Psalm 17:8). His love and faithfulness are steadfast and unlimited (Psalm 36:5). You’re engraved on the palm of His hand (Isaiah 49:16). He is a shield around you (Psalm 3:3). He goes before you and behind you. His hand both guides you and holds you fast (Psalm 139:10).
      
And you don’t need a chain letter to tell you all that. Just open the Bible, God’s Word—it’s full of promises you can believe in.
      
      
Remind me, Father, that You are my provider, my protector, and my portion. Amen.

Special-Tea: Lamentations 3:21–26; Psalm 139

A place of refuge

The ABC’s of knowing God better: the letter “R”

      
I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress.” – Psalm 91:2 NIV
      
Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”– Jesus, as quoted in Mark 6:31 NIV
      
      
When my parents bought a rustic one-room cabin in the western Pennsylvania mountains, my mother dubbed it “Camp St. Jude” – “after the saint of impossible cases,” she said.
      
I don’t think she was as fired up about buying the property as my father was. Dad wanted a guy place where he could hunt and enjoy the peace only a place like this could offer. It was the polar opposite of the life we lived in Donora, one of the steel mill towns along the Monongahela River.
      
Camp St. Jude had no water or electric, only gas-fueled sconces on the wall, a kerosene lantern on the table, a wood-burning stove (which we named “Hot Stuff”) in the middle of the yellowed linoleum floor, and an outhouse, which we called “the poogie house” (rhymes with “cookie”), out back.
      
To convince Mom to buy the place, Dad treated us to a week in a log cabin in Cook Forest – the first family vacation I remember – and promised Mom electricity, running water, an addition so the five of us wouldn’t be crawling on top of each other, and a foundation of concrete block instead of the piers it stood on.
      
The next several summers were spent fulfilling that promise, although the only running water we obtained was from the neighbor’s well, which we pumped by hand and carted back along a swampy path in five-gallon galvanized milk cans.
      
But we had fun. Fun yanking nails out of old siding, ripping off the roof, holding lumber in place while Dad sawed. Fun imagining branches were horses, pretending we were space travelers and the wooden swing hanging between two big pine trees was a space ship from Mars. I spent hours in the boughs of a big pine on the corner of the property where I dreamed of what my life would be like when I grew up.
      
And then I grew up. We sold Camp St. Jude when I was pregnant with our third child. Close friends bought it and, over the years, remodeled it. This summer they invited Dean and me to spend a weekend there with them.
      
Camp St. Jude hasn’t lost its magic. I awoke Saturday morning refreshed and relaxed. I hadn’t slept that well in I don’t know how long.
      
It is still a place of refuge – a place to go when the world is just too much to bear, when the stress stretches me to a breaking point, when I feel overwhelmed and in too deep. Perhaps that’s what Dad saw when he first set eyes on the place.
      
I can’t always go to Camp St. Jude when life gets a little too much, but I can go to God. He is more than “the saint of impossible cases.” He can make the impossible possible.

      
Thank you, Father God, that I can run to You for refuge any time. Amen.

Special-Tea: Read Psalm 91
Camp St. Jude as it is today.
      

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Life's a ball game

The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me.  – Psalm 138:8
      
Anyone who knows me knows I love baseball, especially my Pirates. Through the years our son played—from Little League to college ball—I saw how much the game of baseball is like life itself.
      
How?
      
First, you’ve got to expect the curve ball.
      
Life certainly throws us a lot of curve balls, doesn’t it? But it’s the pitcher’s plan to keep the batter off balance, not knowing what to expect. And curve balls fool you. You think the ball is coming one way, then it curves out of range right when you start to swing.
      
The unexpected. It happens to all of us, more frequently than we want. We swing for all we’re worth—and miss. Or we stand there, watching it sail by.
      
What do we do when life throws us curves?
      
Remember God is in control. Pray for guidance when you’re standing in the batter’s box with two outs and only one more chance—or when you’ve struck out. And remember, until the last out in the last inning, you’ll get more at-bats.
      
“Be alert,” the apostle Peter wrote. “Keep a firm grip on your faith” (1 Peter 5:8).
      
Second, make the most of rain delays.
      
I think of Moses, who fled Egypt and went from a busy palace to the lonely hillsides of a mountain wilderness. From hopes of ruling Egypt to tending sheep. He probably thought he was all washed up, a has-been. He didn’t know it, but he was in a rain delay—a pause in the action until the storm passes and the downpour eases up.
      
Sometimes rain delays are times to rest, regroup, and refresh your body, mind, and spirit. Sometimes they’re periods of preparation for a time of busyness, when you’re called off the bench and thrust back into the game.

Remember, “they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).
      
Third, don’t argue with the umpire.
      
The omniscient God doesn’t make bad calls. What you think is a bad call may be God’s purpose for you. Arguing, whining and complaining will affect your attitude and performance (and perhaps get you benched until you get your game face on). The umpire knows more about the game than you do and sees what you, in your position on the field, can’t.
      
“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will be established” (Proverbs 19:21).
      
Fourth, use what’s in your hand.
      
“What is that in your hand?” God asked Moses. Before God could work miracles through him, Moses had to acknowledge what he had in hand and let God use it for His purposes.
      
What is in your hand? A pen, music instrument, diaper, dust rag, hammer? A common, ordinary thing you’re used to and don’t even think about. Acknowledge it, no matter how small or inconsequential you think it is. Give it to God to use for His purposes. In His hand, it becomes uncommon, extraordinary. Don’t strike out looking. Use what’s in your hand.
      
“I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all,” Martin Luther once said, “but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess.”
      
And finally, remember, when you allow God into the game, you’ll always be a winner.
      
       
Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful game of life. Amen.
Special-Tea: Read Exodus 3:1–4:17