Dear Ones,
 
Happy Weekend to you! Hope you enjoy it and get refreshed. This morning I cleaned our apt. and Al and I went to a funeral Mass of a friend who lived in our apt. building. Al took me out for lunch at Poncho Lefties after which we got a surprise yummy dessert.  (A nearby table  had people from our apt. complex and one of them ordered the dessert for us) Enjoying the day with phone calls which began early this morning and as you may have guessed I am a year older now! If you did not receive devotionals again go to http://www.canaansrest.org/whispers. Sorry and will let Mark know.
 
Devotions from Judy’s heart.
 
Life is not about me, me, me! It is really about the Lord. Just think what it would be like if our identity was found in what others thought of us, or how we performed as a boss, or in being a good spouse or parent. It wouldn’t take long for us to lose confidence for we are sure to blow it. Our lives are meant to revolve around the Lord, and our Identity is in Him; He is our confidence, our source.
 
When we get upset when things don’t go our way or when we have expressed behavior that is not godly, we soon realize that we have strayed from our Source. I don’t know about you, but there is not a day that goes by that I don’t sense my need of the Lord and realize that I can’t live life on my terms. When our focus is on ourselves, life becomes very shallow and meaningless. Perhaps this is seen as it is played out when people have a need to put their whole life on Facebook to validate their worth and importance. But when our focus is on the Lord and then others, everything shifts to a life that has meaning. We experience deep joy!  I was reading Psalm 34 today when David escaped from his enemy. Some of his words from The Message translation are: I bless God every chance I get… I live and breathe God…God met me more than halfway, He freed me from my anxious fears……Worship God if you want the best; Worship opens doors to all His goodness…God seekers are full of God…..God keeps an eye on His friends, His ears pick up every moan and groan….God is listening, ready to rescue you….God is there every time.”  We don’t need to spend time thinking of all our weaknesses or wondering what others are thinking of us, but rather to praise the Lord and rejoice that He loves and accepts us as we are. Our identity is in Him!
 
Challenge for today: The next time someone puts you down, go to the Source and thank Him for his unconditional love.
 
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy