Monday Morning Memo: Life as a Dumb Ox

When I read scripture, I often read it in various versions of the Bible because I have found that sometimes one version will get through my thick skull easier than another.  This was true with Psalm 73:21-28.  While the verses were powerful in the first version, I then read them in The Message, and they really came to light and I knew they were written to me.  If you aren’t familiar with this Bible version, it is written in more modern, up-to-date language, which often makes it easier to understand.  In this version, it says: 

“When I was beleaguered and bitter,
    totally consumed by envy,
I was totally ignorant, a dumb ox
    in your very presence.
I’m still in your presence,
    but you’ve taken my hand.
You wisely and tenderly lead me,
    and then you bless me.

You’re all I want in heaven!
    You’re all I want on earth!
When my skin sags and my bones get brittle,
    God is rock-firm and faithful.
Look! Those who left you are falling apart!
    Deserters, they’ll never be heard from again.
But I’m in the very presence of God—
    oh, how refreshing it is!
I’ve made Lord God my home.
    God, I’m telling the world what you do!”

 

Do you know what my first thought was when I read these verses in The Message?  All I could think of was the fact that God loves me…even when I am a dumb ox!  It just blows my mind to think that God sent His Son to die for me even before I asked Him into my heart.  And now, even though I am a Christian, I still have times when I’m sure I look and act like a dumb ox.  There are even times when I can be, just like these verses state, beleaguered and bitter and totally consumed by envy.   But even in those moments, I am still in God’s presence, and He is patiently waiting for me to turn back to Him so He can continue to walk with me every step of the way.

 

He is all I need here on earth, and I can’t wait to spend eternity with Him.  It is so amazing to know that God never changes…even when this chaotic world swirls around me, God is my rock and will never leave me.  He never wavers…never loves me any less…or gives up on me.  And just like these verses state, even when my skin sags and my bones get more brittle, He is always faithful and firmly planted by my side.

 

Are you feeling all alone today?  Are you feeling like a dumb ox?  If you are, I want you to know that I’ve been there too. I’m so thrilled to be able to share with you that God is still right by your side, and He loves you right where you are today.   You and I can go to Him, with all our faults and failures, and He can make something so beautiful out of our lives.  No matter what you have done, He doesn’t love you any less and He wants to be the rock that you lean on every day.  Allow yourself to feel His presence in a new and powerful way because He can’t wait to wisely and tenderly lead and bless you!

Monday Morning Memo: What's Next?

We were recently talking with someone and I heard the comment made:  “Well, yes that was pre-Covid”.  It wasn’t long after that and we were talking with someone else and I then heard, “Yes, that happened after Covid”.  

 

It amazes me that here we are in 2025, and we still relate so many things to either pre-Covid or post-Covid!  What a moment in time that was, and it still is affecting us five years later.

 

Just think about life in the pre-Covid era.  We had no idea what we were in for.  We had no clue there would be a pandemic…that most businesses would have to close…students would have to learn from home…people would go nuts having to stay home…and there would be friends and loved ones who would pass away from this illness.

 

Yes sirree…we were just living our lives without any idea what the year 2020 would hold for us. If we just would have known…we could have…worried?  Stopped it?  Warned everybody?  Hmmmm, of those options I don’t think worrying would have changed anything.  I really doubt we could have stopped it from happening.  But, maybe…just maybe we could have warned people.  If we only would have known.

 

The same is true now in 2025.  We have no clue what tomorrow, next week, next month, or next year will bring.  We may have to go through something far worse than Covid…or…we may be blessed with something better than our wildest dreams.  We just don’t know what is next.  So, what can we do?  Worry?  Stop whatever is going to happen?  Warn everybody we know?  If we look at it sensibly…we know worrying about what might happen will accomplish nothing…except maybe give us high blood pressure or an ulcer.  Trying to stop something when we have no idea what “it” is…is futile.  And how can we warn everybody about something we don’t know the facts of yet?

 

I think we might spend our time in a more productive way by concentrating on what we DO know.  The only thing that we as Christians know…is that someday Jesus is going to return.  It might be today, tomorrow, next week or next year…we just don’t know.  But since we do know that it will happen…why don’t we spend our time making sure everyone else knows too.  If we put all the effort that most of us put into worrying about the future, into telling others about our Jesus…I’m guessing we might have a better, more peace-filled life today.  Christ doesn’t want us to live our lives consumed with fretting about what might happen…but instead…consumed with letting our light shine for all to see.

 

Is fear consuming your thoughts?  Do you spend your days worrying about all the “what-ifs” of life?  Maybe you need to work on redirecting your thoughts on the One who already holds tomorrow in the palm of His hand.  Jesus knows every detail of your future, and do you know what?  He isn’t worried.  So, if He isn’t wringing His hands…we shouldn’t either.  

 

So, let’s get busy and show our friends and family the joy and peace we have in our Jesus and tell them He is coming back so we all need to get ready!

Monday Morning Memo: We Are Not That Powerful

If there is one thing that I’ve learned in my life, it is that just when I think I have things figured out…I realize that I don’t.  Just when I think I see the puzzle pieces falling into place, someone or something rearranges them.  But if I look at things realistically, I’m pretty sure that that is just “life” and at my age I should be used to it by now!

 

I’ve been thinking about how I usually react when a change or detour occurs.  Sometimes I handle it well, but there are times when I think I spend way too much time overanalyzing every detail.  I tend to be a teensy bit of a perfectionist (ok some of you can stop laughing now), and as a result, I feel the need to pick apart the reason for every change.  “What caused this to happen?”  “What did I do wrong to bring about this detour?”  “What incorrect decision did I make to blow God’s entire plan for my life, causing Him to have to totally redraw the blueprints He had for me?”  Yes, sometimes I’m a little “over the top”.

 

But another thing I’ve learned in my life is that I am not alone in feeling this way.  I talk to a lot of people, and quite often I hear them say similar things.  Their words may be different than mine…but often their underlying theme mimics mine.  In essence, I often hear them say, “Well I really blew it this time when I made the wrong decision and now God is going to make me pay the price.” 

  

The problem with this type of thought process is that we often tend to fear every decision we make.  We stew and fret and pray until our knees are calloused, but still put off making decisions because we worry that we will make the wrong ones and God will be ticked at us.  I think it is good for us to not always rush into making plans, but there comes a time when we need to trust God, knowing that He knows our heart and wants the very best for us.

 

I love the graphic I’m sharing today.  Oh, how good it is for me to be reminded that if I think I have blown God’s plan for my life, I need to rest in the fact that I am not that powerful!  In other words, I need to remember that I am not God.  Only God is God, and He is so powerful that He can accomplish in me and through me whatever He deems best…even when I make a wrong decision or mess things up.  Again, He knows my heart and if I have prayed for direction on something in my life, there comes a time when I need to act and move forward.  If it ends up being the wrong decision, my God is powerful enough to still accomplish His plan, even with my mistakes.

 

Are you berating yourself today, feeling like your decisions or actions have blown God’s plan for your life?  Allow me to let you in on a little secret:  you are not God nor are you that powerful.  Whatever you have done, He is mighty enough to still accomplish His plans in and through you. 

 

Are you putting off making a decision because you are petrified that you will make the wrong one?  I want to urge you to take a deep breath and relax.  Spend time in prayer, asking God to give you direction, and then move ahead.  He knows your heart and can see that you want to do His will and so even if you make the wrong decision, He can still work everything out.  Yes, it may mean that you will have an unexpected detour or the puzzle pieces will need to be rearranged…but in the end… your life’s picture will be absolutely perfect because God is just that powerful!

 

^“And we know that God causes everything to 

work together for the good of those 

who love God and are 

called according to his purpose for them.”

Romans 8:28

Monday Morning Memo: Blessed Beyond Measure

Throughout my life, I have been given things I haven’t deserved.  I was born into a free country, to Christian parents who loved me along with a brother and sister who I wouldn’t trade for the world.  Many, many people did not enter this world with the same circumstances.

 

I met and married a Christian man who loves the Lord and also loves me with all my faults and failures.  I have seen his love in action towards me many times when my health hit another low and I was unable to care for myself.  He has stuck by me and loved me when I have been unlovable.  Many, many people have had their spouse walk out on them in far less serious situations.  

 

I was abundantly blessed with three children who grew up to love and serve the Lord, despite my imperfect parenting.  I then had my prayers answered when we welcomed two Christian son-in-laws and a daughter-in-law into our family.  Many people have had broken hearts when they were not able to conceive or have had to watch their wayward children choose a much different path than had been hoped for them.

 

I have been given the unbelievable honor of being the grandma to eight of the most precious grandchildren a person could ask for.  Words cannot express the joy in my heart when I am with them.  For my recent birthday, they made me cards and to read of their love for me…brought tears to my eyes. Many, many people yearn for having this treasured privilege.

 

I was blessed with a wonderful father-in-law and mother-in-law.  They accepted me as their own from the first day we met and I immediately became their daughter.  Many people share horror stories of in-laws who have made their life miserable, but I have none to share.

 

I have been beyond blessed with the most amazing friends in the world.  I have brothers and sisters in Christ who I can share everything with…the good, the bad and yes, even the ugly.  I know that at any time of the day or night, if I need someone to pray or just to listen to me vent, they are there for me.  I can be real with them and they still love me.  Many people feel they don’t have even one friend who will stand by them through thick and thin.

 

I worship with my brothers and sisters in Christ in a church that is prayer-driven.  Being able to worship and serve beside these people, helps me in my desire to look more like Christ because they have often been Jesus “with skin on” to me.  Many people have yet to find a place where God is glorified and their soul is strengthened on a regular basis.

 

I don’t know what your “story” is.  I don’t know if you could also list a number of things that you have been given which you don’t deserve, just like I did.  But no matter what has occurred in my life or in yours, everything pales in comparison to the greatest opportunity that we have all been given.  Above all else, all of us have been given the opportunity to accept Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior.  This week we will remember how He came to this earth to die on a cross for you and for me, so that we can have eternal life with Him.  This, just like all the other things we may list, is something we don’t deserve.  There isn’t anything that we can do to “earn” the blessings we have received, nor can we do a list of “works” to earn our salvation.  We don’t deserve it, plain and simple.  Yet He has given it to us because He loves us that much.  The only thing we have to do is accept Him into our heart and let Him direct our paths.

 

No matter your past…no matter your present…nothing you have done, good or bad, will get you into heaven or keep you from getting in.  You can’t just be “good enough” to spend your eternity with Jesus.  The only way you can go to heaven is to ask Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sins and accept Him as your Lord and Savior.  I’ve heard people say that a loving God would not send anyone to Hell and that is right.  He won’t send any of us to Hell…it will be our own choice…whether we accept Him or not…which will send us to either Heaven or Hell.

 

Today I want to urge you; in fact I want to plead with you to accept Christ now if you haven’t already done so.  I so want to spend eternity with you in Heaven and none of us are promised tomorrow, so it is imperative that you make this decision before it is too late.  If you have questions, or if I can help you in any way, please let me know.  What Christ has to offer you and me is totally underserved…but it is because He loves us so much.  He died and rose again to give us what we don’t deserve…let’s not turn our back on His precious gift of eternal life with Him. 

 

Simply pray this prayer:

 

“Dear Jesus, I believe that you died on the cross for my sins, were resurrected and that you are alive and well today.  I believe that you are the Son of God and that you deeply love me.  I confess that I am a sinner, and I need you to forgive me and cleanse me from my sins.  I accept you as my Savior and want you to create a new and clean heart in me.  I now want to live every day for you, and I know that I will have eternal life with you because of what you did on Calvary’s cross for me.  Thank you, Jesus.  Amen.”

 

If you have prayed this prayer, I would love to know so I can be praying for you as you begin your walk with our Jesus.  Feel free to contact me so I can celebrate your decision with you!

 

“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.”

John 3:16-18 The Message

Monday Morning Memo: Difficult Seasons

I’m sure we can all agree that life isn’t always easy.  Some “seasons” are harder than others and staying on track completely focused on the Lord, sometimes takes every ounce of fortitude we can muster.  This is how I’ve felt the last few weeks, so it may be why a verse in the Bible got me thinking.  I’m sure I’ve read it many times before and it didn’t have an impact at the time…but then suddenly it’s as if it has a spotlight on it.  It happened with 2 Chronicles 31:21 which says this about Hezekiah: “In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.”  WOW.  Is this really possible?

 

Everything.  Not some things…not a few things…not just when it was convenient or easy…everything he did, Hezekiah sought his God and worked wholeheartedly.  I’m very confident that these words can’t be said about me.  I wish they could…but unfortunately, “me” gets in the way too often.  I want to seek God and work wholeheartedly…but there are times when the going gets tough and I give up.  I deem it as too big of a sacrifice to give everything that I have, so I back off and hope someone else picks up the pieces.

 

What was the result of Hezekiah’s complete devotion to his God?  He prospered.  What that tells me is that we can’t out give God!  Yes, I’m sure Hezekiah had to sacrifice a lot to do whatever God asked of him, but in turn, God abundantly blessed him.  No matter how much we do for God…He gives us more!  

 

This makes me wonder then what blessings I have missed out on.  What was God waiting to do for me, but because I gave up, I didn’t receive the blessings?  What was just around the corner, or just over the hill in my life that would have just “blown my socks off” in amazement as I would have seen His power at work…but instead I was left feeling empty and unfulfilled?

 

I’m sure you have heard the saying, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going”.  Wikipedia says this about this adage:  In context, "the going" means "the situation," "gets tough" means "becomes difficult," "the tough" means "people who are strong or enduring," and "get going" means "become fully engaged." Taken together, the meaning of the phrase is "When the situation becomes difficult, the strong will work harder to meet the challenge."

 

That is exactly what we are called to do.  When the road gets tough…we are to dig our heels in and just work all the harder to meet the challenge. “Giving up” should not be in our vocabulary.  We are to give our all in everything God leads us to do, remembering that our God is faithful and true and powerful enough to see us through.  Hezekiah’s life proves to us that it IS possible to live our lives this way and we need to learn from his example.

 

I hope you will join me in turning the corners and going over the hills that are in our future to see what is waiting for us.  Let’s seek our God and work wholeheartedly for Him.  I can’t promise that it will be easy, but I can promise you that it WILL be worth it!

Monday Morning Memo: Life's Hurricanes

Do you know that moment when you read something, and you feel like God put the words there just for you?  It’s not so bad when what you are reading gives you a warm fuzzy feeling; but it isn’t nearly as much fun when the words slap you right between the eyes.

 

This is what happened to me recently.  The words?  A quote from Corrie Ten Boom: “Don’t bother to give God directions, just report for duty.”  Oh man…did I have to read that?  Why couldn’t I have read the verse, “Thou shalt not steal”?  I don’t ever struggle with wanting to steal.  Or why couldn’t God have impressed on me the saying, “Stressed spelled backwards is desserts”?  Now THERE is something to make me feel good and celebrate!

 

No, He led me to read something that made me squirm, because if I reflect on some of my recent prayers, they have sounded more like a to-do list for God, instead of seeking His direction.  Why do I do that?  Why is it so easy to fall into the trap of telling Him what I think He should do?

 

I know He wants me to pour out my heart to Him.  I know He loves to hear my desires and my dreams; but the problem arises when I am more concerned with what I want than what He wants.  When my today and my tomorrow is spent instructing Him to do what would make me happy…there is a problem.  The reason is that what I think will make me happy, may not be good for me at all.  What I think should happen in the lives of my loved ones, may not be beneficial to them in the long run.  He can see my tomorrows and the tomorrows of my family and friends and so it is in Him that I need to put my faith and trust.

 

At the same time, He brought me the book, “How to Quiet a Hurricane – Strategies for Christian Endurance in the Midst of Life’s Storms” by Justin Kendrick.  I’m only on page 50, but there have been so many good nuggets of truth so far.  It is reminding me over and over again that God’s way is best and that the “hurricanes” in my life may actually improve my life and Christian walk.  He wrote about the time when the disciples were in the boat with Jesus and the weather was like a hurricane and what was Jesus doing?  Sleeping.  Can you imagine?  Sleeping during a terrible storm.  Wow, I’m guessing I would have had some choice words for Jesus at that moment.  But the author penned these words:

“But what if this hurricane nap is intended to model for us a different way of life?While the disciples were panicking, Jesus was resting.  They were drowning in feelings of terror, but he was perfectly at peace.  He rests in the hurricane as a vivid picture of a better way to live, showing us that God doesn’t always take away the storm, but he always gives us what we need to get through it.  He views all of life from the perspective of eternity, and that perspective changes everything.”

 

Just as I’m sure I would have had some words for Jesus in the boat, I find myself having conversations with Him recently which begin with, “Lord, please do…..”, or “Lord, I need you to…” or “Father, they need you to…”  I’m beginning to think that maybe my prayer time might be more productive if more of my sentences consisted of, “Lord, open my mind to what you have to say”, and “Father, work your way and Your will in my life and in the lives of my family”.  In doing this, I am giving Him free reign to do with me as He sees best, and yes, that might just include some “hurricanes”.

 

Scary?  You bet it is; especially for a control freak like me, but I can’t think of anyone in this world who I would rather trust with my today and my tomorrow than the One who created me.  So, my plan this week is to enter into His presence, bow down at His throne and just say the words, “Father, I’m reporting for duty.  Lead me where you want me to go, even if it includes a hurricane.”

 

“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.”

Psalm 25:5 (NLT)

 

Monday Morning Memo: Acts of Kindness

Today’s blog post isn’t deeply spiritual…it’s just sharing something that happened to me last week that made me smile.  And I think we all can use more of those kinds of “happenings”.

 

We have a local store where a young man works who I do not know.  He’s nice looking and seems to do his job well…but I realized from the first time I saw him that he was very quiet and rather serious.  Because of this, I decided to make an intentional effort to show him kindness.

 

So, for many months now, whenever I have seen him in the store, I have made an effort to speak to him.  I usually just ask him how he is…or I might talk about something exciting like the weather.  Just anything to make sure he knows he is seen.  A few times, I’ve actually had him answer me with as few words as possible…but it was at least a beginning.

 

Last week, I went to check out at this store, and I didn’t notice that he was working in the lane behind me.  I started unloading my things on the conveyor belt, and suddenly there was someone standing next to me taking my things out of the cart for me.  I looked over to see that, lo and behold, it was this young man.  He had come from his lane to mine, unloaded my things, and then immediately started back to his lane.  I said to him, “Thank you so much!” and I heard softly, “You are welcome”.

 

Yep, that was our short-lived encounter…but you can bet I came out of that store grinning from ear to ear.  He had made the first effort this time and it made my whole day!

 

I have shared before that I have a “game” I play whenever I go up to a cashier or have a waitress come to our table.  My game is to see if I can greet them, before they greet me.  Unfortunately, in some stores and restaurants, it’s not hard to win at the game, because sometimes the person doesn’t even recognize that I’ve entered their territory.  But it is surprising how shocked most of them are when I say to them, “How are you doing today?”  I’m not sure they get asked that question very much, so to have someone honestly want to know how they are doing, is unusual.  

 

I do have a warning though if you try this…be ready to hear how they are really doing.  I’ve had cashiers tell me everything about their day, week and sometimes life and I’ve had waitresses sit down beside me in a booth to give me more details!  My husband laughs and shakes his head, but I don’t mind.

 

We are living in a world where so many people just want to know that someone cares…that someone “sees” them.  Many are going through life feeling rather invisible, and just having someone smile and ask them how they are…can make their whole day.

 

You know…we may be the only “Jesus with skin on” that those we meet…will ever know.  So, if they only see us being disgusted and frustrated and in a rush to get on to the next thing…will they ever want to know about Him?  I don’t know.  But if we can at least brighten their day a little bit, and show them that there are people in this world who truly care…maybe…just maybe…they will begin to wonder what makes us different. 

 

I want to challenge you to make an effort this week to really “see” those with whom you come in contact.  Make eye contact and ask them how they are doing…and then make sure and listen when they tell you.  Who knows…maybe next time you will have someone unload your cart for you too!  

 

“Kind words are like honey—
    sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.”

Proverbs 16:24

 

“And may the Lord make your love for one another 

and for all people grow and overflow, 

just as our love for you overflows.”

I Thessalonians 3:12