I’ve been thinking about the Samaritan woman at the well that Jesus intentionally sought out. Almost everyone went early in the morning to draw water from the well…NOT in the heat of the day. That makes me think she was trying to avoid people by walking all that way when it was so hot. By reading the Gospel accounts of their interaction she had no idea who Jesus was and most likely wished He wasn’t there at the well.

During their encounter, she said things like, “why would you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan for a drink?” “You don’t even have a bucket.” “You aren’t greater than our father, Jacob.” “Give me this water so I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming back to this well.” On every topic, Jesus kept a steady flow of intriguing conversation until she revealed her faith to Him. In John 4:25 the woman said, “I know that the Messiah is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.” And Jesus said in the next verse (26), “I, the one speaking to you, am He.”

Just imagine this moment. She’s tired from walking, hot, thirsty. They’ve been almost sparring conversationally. And when she quotes Scripture from the Old Testament prophets to Jesus, the One who IS the Word, Jesus removes any confusion, doubt or misunderstanding in her mind of who He is…clearly proclaiming that He is the One for whom she has waited.

I love this so much. Jesus knew where she was. He knew she was waiting…that she had questions…and that she needed Him. Jesus patiently listened and talked through all her baggage. And when she opened her heart to hear the Good News, Jesus, the Truth revealed Himself to her. Jesus will do that for us too. He is patient. He knows that sometimes we have to peel off the layers of baggage that we’ve carried to be open to receive who He is and what He came to do for us and in us. He is here and He is ready.

Remember when the Rubik’s cube was the thing everyone wanted to play with? It didn’t take me long to figure out that, for me, it was more a source of frustration than a challenge to be conquered. This square with rotating parts that had to be maneuvered in order to turn all the squares on each side to the same color might take me weeks to figure out. I’m not sure that I ever accomplished the challenge. And I’m ok with never trying it again! I was curious to know how quickly someone could do it…and the world record for setting the 3×3 Rubik’s cube to completion is 3.13 seconds. I can’t even fathom how that is possible!

Recently, a friend showed me a Rubik’s cube that had a different family photo on each of its sides rather than a single color. How much more difficult that would be to put together! Each small square was part of a specific family picture. Sometimes in the effort to straighten out and connect one family photo…another side had to be disrupted in order to bring the whole picture together. And so often, others are impacted by one square or one picture not being in the right place.

Our lives are a bit like that Rubik’s cube. Our current situation isn’t altogether. Sometimes our space is impacted by someone else trying to straighten out their picture. Maybe our family picture won’t ever look the same again in this life. Here’s what we can know beyond any doubt: our great God is holding ALL of us in His mighty hand. Colossians 1:16-17 (MSG) states, “For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels – everything got started in Him and finds its purpose in Him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment.”

Rest in knowing that there isn’t a single part of your life that isn’t being held by God…and He is holding it all together.

I was listening to an interview with a professional football player after a game recently. His team was not favored to win going in to the game but that did not stop the guys from bringing their “A” game and leaving it all on the field. And when the final seconds of the game ticked away…Tyreek Hill’s team, the Dolphins, had won the game. Something Tyreek said in his post game interview caught my ear. When asked about the team’s win, he said, “it all comes down to who prepared the best and who shows up to play”.

Isn’t that a lot like life?! Preparation can look like a lot of different things. Sometimes the biggest battles are fought and won in our mind. Preparing our body, mind and soul is extremely important. Running drills for whatever God is calling us to do professionally, personally, spiritually….ALL of that makes us better at what we do and who we are. But we can do all of that and still lose the fight…if we don’t SHOW UP! We have to show up. When we face difficult things, we must show up. Even when we feel unprepared, we show up. Especially when we’re fatigued, tired of fighting and feel like we can’t make it…show. up!

When we show up…we bring the Light. The Light dispels the darkness. It illuminates the ones who are trying to take us down. It shines a beam on those who need us to show love. After all, that’s what Jesus did for us. He showed up. 1 John 4:19 (NLT) brings it all down to this: “We love each other because He loved us first.” Jesus showed up….and because He did…so can we.

If you’re a parent you know the effort it takes to get everyone into church on Sunday morning….dressed, fed, hair and teeth brushed…and all…on time. On good days you come strolling in with everything in its place, holding the hands of your littles walking beside you, with smiles all around. On the crazy, “alarm didn’t go off” “woke up on the wrong side of bed” kind of days, you might be found running in, clutching your kiddos tightly, slinging your purse and diaper bag over your shoulder, just praying you can slip in the back door sight unseen once you’ve deposited your children in their Sunday School classrooms.

One morning I flew in…wrestling my purse, Bible, diaper bag and my oldest child, Cody. He was a toddler at the time. When I leaned forward to hand Cody off to the teacher, she said, ‘you smell just like your mommy!’ She asked me the name of the perfume I was wearing because she liked it so much. Side note: whether I’m in a hurry or have all the time in the world…I love hugging my kids. And when I had gotten Cody out of his car seat that morning I had hugged him tight. In that moment, I stopped the rushing and soaked in the sweetness of a quick compliment that reminded me of the gift I had to be able to hold tightly to my little boy.

I remembered that brief encounter, that happened years ago, the other day when I read 2 Corinthians 2:15 (NLT), “Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing.” When we lean in closer to Jesus we are the sweet fragrance of Christ to God. Others can also sense that there’s something different about us that comes from spending time with the Lord. That fragrance has the ability to draw others toward God. It can also repel those who are running from God.

Our mission is to stay close to the embrace of Christ and keep allowing the fragrance of His presence in our lives to permeate the atmosphere of those we connect with throughout the day. The Holy Spirit will take care of the rest!

Have you ever walked into a room and the tension was so thick you just wanted to exit as quickly as possible? The phrase ‘so thick you could cut it with a knife’ comes to mind. Although that seems really drastic! Regardless of whether you are a part of the situation or an innocent bystander you can sense tension in the air. That kind of tension isn’t healthy and the Bible encourages us in Romans 12:18 (NLT), “Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.”

Tension gets a bad wrap at times. There IS a good kind of tension. You could hold a wire at one end and let it dangle and that wire would not fulfill its purpose. But when you attach it from the body of a guitar to the head of that guitar and tighten it up, the tension allows music to be played as the string is strummed. The tension is necessary to do what it was created to do. Deadlines create tension that help us plan, process and stay on track.

So when Romans 12:18 tells us to do all that we can to live in peace with everyone I don’t believe that it means to avoid or isolate from those with whom we struggle to be around. The action word in that verse is “DO”. Is there someone that creates tension in your heart when you’re around them? Pray for them! Something happens when we pray for someone we are struggling with. It happens in our heart when we pray for theirs! When I pray, “God, help me to love that person like YOU love them”, that tension that I felt begins to crumble…and that opens the door for miracles in relationships to happen.

Let that be your prayer today if God is bringing someone to your mind. He will help you to do all that YOU can do to live at peace with them.

Recently I attended the funeral of a lady I’ve known since I was a child. She was such a beautiful lady and when I remember her I think of her grace. She wore it so well. We stood in the receiving line for quite a while, shared a few moments with her family, and made our way to our seats for the service that was about to begin.

The room was full of people of all ages and backgrounds. And as I listened to her granddaughters share stories of their ‘mommom’ I thought about all of the people there that day. All different stages and walks of life with ONE thing in common. At one time or another, she had touched our lives in such a way, significant enough to draw us together, at that day and time, to remember how she made us feel. She may not have ever considered that she lived a life of impact but it was evident that day that her life had made a difference in ours.

That’s the thing about impact. Rarely do we feel like we are even making a difference, let alone an impact. So often, the biggest influences in our lives are made by the ones who consistently show up, show love…and patience. They are kind…and give grace when its needed. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (MSG) is all about consistently living a life of impact. “Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut, doesn’t have a swelled head, doesn’t force itself on others, isn’t always “me first,” doesn’t fly off the handle, doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, doesn’t revel when others grovel. Love takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, puts up with anything, trusts God always, always looks for the best, never looks back, but keeps going to the end.”

Love well consistently. That…is how we live a life of impact.

At the age of 19, I found myself interning at a very well known television ministry in Charlotte, NC. It was such an amazing opportunity and certainly the way I got there had God’s fingerprints all over it. So I knew I was supposed to be there. Not a doubt in my mind. I learned so much during that year and worked with so many incredibly gifted and well connected people. When I think back on it, every day truly was the stuff of dreams!

Even though there were so many highlights for me I found myself struggling about halfway through the year. I had built up certain expectations that just were not being met. Disappointment began to set in and then it seemed that even the things I enjoyed doing were not enjoyable any more.

I remember calling my Dad – not really for advice. I just wanted to vent. He listened patiently waiting for me to finish. And I will never forget his advice. He said, “Denise, in every ministry there will be things we don’t particularly like. Every ministry is made up of people. And people don’t always do what we think they should do. Here’s the question YOU have to answer. Do you want to be a blessing…or a burden? If you can be a blessing to them, then you should stay. If you are only going to be a burden, by picking apart all the things you don’t like, then you should pray about what’s next.”

That was a turning point for me that year and such an important lesson to learn. We choose how we see things. And how we see things determines how we serve. Paul shared similar advice with the Ephesians in chapter 4:1-3 (CEV). “As a prisoner of the Lord, I beg you to live in a way that is worthy of the people God has chosen to be His own. Always be humble and gentle. Patiently put up with each other and love each other. Try your best to let God’s Spirit keep your hearts united. Do this by living at peace.”

We are called to serve. It’s so important for us to honor God’s Word while we are serving … to be a blessing…not a burden.

One year in elementary school I decided to audition for the school play. I got the role of Penelope Pitstop and I was nervous! I remember two things about that experience. My biggest line was ‘woe is me, my life is in shambles!’; and also, that moment standing backstage before the curtain went up. I remember peeking from the side stage and seeing some of the audience. But it was nothing like what I saw when I walked out center stage and saw the whole room full of faces staring back at me. The crowd was there the whole time…even though I couldn’t see them.

Where we are in life today may feel a little like peering through the crack in the curtain on stage. We can’t see the whole scene yet. We don’t know how our situation is going to work out. We don’t know who will be in our audience. What we DO know is that God is already there. He is there with us when we are center stage and God is there with us when we are sitting in the audience. We might feel a little like my Penelope Pitstop character with our life feeling like its in shambles…but there is nothing that will happen in our day that will surprise God. He already knows…and God has a plan!

So don’t be afraid to answer God’s calling. Step out in faith. The stage He has set for you is so much bigger than what you can see. Trust Him. Psalm 25:4 (NLT) reminds us that we can! “Show me the right path, O LORD; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by Your truth and teach me, for You are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in You.”

Unless you live in a bubble, you have likely had someone tell you something or do something that plucked your last nerve and made you want to react immediately. We may differ in our reactions, but we do react. Some of us speak out right away, letting it be known how that action made us feel. While others reserve reaction even to the point of stuffing it away. We think we’ll deal with it later…or let it simmer… until we blow up. Any of these reactions sound relatable to you?

I often get quiet. Take a step back. Give myself some space so I don’t ‘blow a cork’ as my Dad would say. That might not be a such a bad idea…except when I don’t deal with my feeling about it. If I don’t take time to choose to forgive and let it go….that offense will fester. Oh it may not be visible on the outside, but just let that same person pluck that same nerve again…and now I’ve got a double portion stored up and ready to launch!

James gives us such good advice for living with and dealing with people. In James 1:19-20 (ESV) he said, “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”

Be willing to hear them out. Allow space to let perspective into my thinking. Here’s the real work: be slow to speak…AND…slow to anger. Just being silent but filled with rage is a ticking time bomb. When we want to be more Christlike, James is very clear. We cannot walk in God’s righteousness and be angry. It is a choice and when we choose God’s way – we will listen more, speak less and let offenses go.

There is beauty in a brand new day. We turn the page on a fresh, clean calendar for a new month. And we ring in a new year in anticipation with hope that we can begin again. We look forward to good things ahead in the new year.

Even though we’ve had struggles, endured hardships and even loss…there is hope that today will be better, next month holds promise and potential.

One of my favorite Scriptures is found in Lamentations 3 verses 22 and 23 (NIV). “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”

New EVERY morning. God’s mercy toward us is new every morning regardless of our day before, what happened or didn’t happen. What we did…or didn’t do. God never stops loving us and His mercy on us is waiting for us at the beginning of each day. What a promise that is for you and I. And it is topped off with this ‘great is Your faithfulness’. It’s not that God chooses to be faithful. It is an attribute of God. He IS faithfulness.

Today. Tomorrow. … and forever. God is faithful and His mercies are NEW every morning!