Dear Ones,                                                                                                                                                    Hope you are having a beautiful day. I am making stroganoff and then will be off to my exercise class soon. This afternoon we have Craft time.                                                        Devotions from Judy’s heart                                                                                                                        We have friends from Washington coming next month to visit us and I was reminded of Tom when I read Sara Whitten’s words on Crosswalk.com about sailing. She shared about the picture of a sailboat that she saw at a hotel, with the words above saying, “You can’t change the direction of the wind, but you can adjust your sails.” For all of us, that means we have to do the adjusting!                              Our friend Tom made his own small sailboat and loves to sail on Washington lake which is 12 miles long. Recently he took his daughter and friend sailing and much to their surprise the small boat motor suddenly conked out. They were 3 miles from where they had launched and the wind was from the wrong direction so they had to tack (go zigzag) and it took 8 hours to finally get back to land. Not a day like they had planned but still enjoyed!         
 Maybe we are in a place where it seems nothing is happening and we feel stuck and frustrated. God doesn’t want us to give up but find the direction the wind is blowing and adjust our sails. Sara writes that it means we need to adjust the positioning of our hearts to be filled with joy from the Lord. It could involve trimming our sails and reducing the drag so we are not slowed and weighed down. Often that means letting go of even good things to pursue what God has for us now. We can ask Him where He wants us to put in our time and energy during this shifting so we don’t capsize spiritually. Even when there is not much wind or movement, we can use the time to prepare for when the wind comes again. We are not to go on autopilot but know there is purpose in the stillness. Usually, the wind increases in the afternoon and Sara recommends taking time to get spiritually fed in the Word early in the day so we are on “wind watch” and ready for what is ahead. During the calm we can look for little signs that our “gust” is coming so we are ready. Small sailboats like Tom’s are more responsive and easier to steer, than large ones that have lower maneuverability. Likewise, we need to embrace what the Lord is trying to teach us in the small steps and then it will help us in the big steps.                                                                   
  Perhaps we feel like the wind is gusting and the sails are flapping now and it seems chaotic but it is a transitional time and we need to make adjustments so we can soon be on our way. Then let us ask the Lord to fill our sails with His Holy Spirit, and as Paul prayed in Rom.15:13b, “so by the power of the Spirit you may abound in hope.”   
Challenge for today: Pray that the Lord will show you what needs to be trimmed and get ready for the wind of His Spirit to fill your sails.                                            Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy