May 5, 2023

Dear Ones,

Happy Weekend! Hope you have time to go out in nature and enjoy this spring weather! We walked yesterday and met our friend who is part of the “Church on the Paul Bunyan trail”. His wife who is younger, is now in Memory Care and we miss her walking with us. 

I just finished making Lentil stew and cookies for the grandkids when we go there next. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart

   Are we content to be our true selves, or do we live to try to please others? God made us unique and like no other, and His delight is that we become all that He had created us to be. Comparing ourselves with others is foolish and we get frustrated if we try to please them and miss who we really are. This morning I read from the Message translation from Matt. 5:5, “You are blessed when you are content with just who you are—no more or no less. That’s when you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.”

   We make many choices in life but they are not to be made for the approval of others but how the Lord is leading our life. Otherwise, we are really avoiding responsibility and not living the life God has planned for us. Our choices can determine the quality of our character and our soul. Of course, we are not perfect and do not always choose right, but that only shows us how much we need the Lord.

  Recently, I saw a friend from a former church where Al was once the Interim Pastor. She is someone that seems content with her life and is like a ray of sunshine. She had so much to share and although she is almost my age, she overflowed with joy that she has the privilege of working with youth at her church. Her love for the Lord is so evident and I believe the youth respond to her as she is who she is…no pretense, just herself and so open to the Lord.

  When we are at peace with who God made us to be, we can live in freedom and others feel comfortable around us. It has nothing to do with outward beauty but the inward beauty of the heart. Let us not compromise but be who we were made to be!

Challenge for today: Be real, be you, be all that God planned for your life!