Dear Ones,
Hope you wake to a wonderful day full of sunshine. Al will be going to Men’s Group, and I will have donuts waiting for him when he gets back. I plan to do food prep and later we have Bible study here.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Haven’t we all looked at someone who seems so perfect and wondered what is beneath their façade and if they are real. Of course, there are no sinless people, and we all have to deal with our own narcissism and ask God to be patient with us and gentle. But God doesn’t shame us or manipulate us but invites us to seek Him, to deal with all those self-serving and sinful ways we have that He might heal us. As it says in Isaiah 55:6, “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near.”
I am sure we all have areas within us that need healing for we have not been treated perfectly as we were all raised by imperfect parents and grew up in an imperfect world. Some people disconnect and choose to isolate themselves as they try to overcome the pain of the past in their lives; but that is a lonely life, and we find the pain doesn’t go away either. It’s far better to confront the things that have become wounds within us and let the Lord go into those places and bring His healing power. He can be trusted, and He is merciful, and He waits for us to come to Him and tend our wounds that He may heal us.

Why is so hard to say the word, “Help! Lord, I need your help!” It is humbling for one thing, but it also puts us in a place where we can deal with our stuff, not pretending everything is great .and burying our pain. Instead, we can trust God, and often He sends a Soul Care giver or a Christian counselor to help us navigate through our pain and bring us to the place of freedom where we may flourish. Let us not run away but go home to our Heavenly Father who all the while waits for us to come. Let us leave our shallow lives and live deeply in Him.

 Challenge for today: Do not settle for a superficial life, but let the Lord take you into places you have never been before.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy