What can God do with nothing … everything. A blank canvas is no problem for our God. And neither is a messy, jacked up, torn up canvas. Hey, God can wipe that clean in an instant.

The story of creation shows God’s power to create from nothing. It shows his vision in darkness. It reveals his sovereignty over emptiness and his desire for abundance.

Where is there emptiness in your life? God brings abundance there. Where is there a total loss of hope in your life? God’s vision is overflowing with hope there. You don’t see it yet, but God sure does. God knows exactly how he will take all that is missing and create more than you could ever ask, think, or imagine. He requires absolutely nothing to start with. He doesn’t need a spark, he makes the fire. He doesn’t need a foundation, he is the foundation. He doesn’t need a week’s worth of progress first, he holds the miraculous power to change it all with one word.

Psalm 51:10 MSG, “God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.”

Last Friday, we began studying what a Genesis week might look like in our own lives. A time of creation. A time of new life growing when there has been nothing but void before. In episode #1526 ‘Your Genesis Week’, we went back to Genesis chapter 1, the very beginning of everything, and we began studying the week of creation. The times when God spoke into nothing, and it was. It was, solely because God command it to be. Not because it made sense. Not because it had ever been before. Not because it was natural. Certainly not because it was probable or expected. It all became because God spoke it, and it was.

I assure you, God still holds that power. He can still speak something that is totally un-probable and completely unexpected, and it will be. He can still do in a single moment what we could never do in a million lifetimes. He can take nothing and create anything, everything, and then more things.

So what the story of creation tells us is, there’s still hope for us. There’s hope for those things that are too far gone. There’s hope for the things that have never been before. There’s hope for all that has been dismissed as impossible. All that’s needed here for everything to change is one word from God. A fresh start is possible in you. A new passion is rising in you. A stirred up joy, a revived dream, a calling to a purpose you dismissed yourself from.

Where there is nothing but chaos in your life, God can shape a Genesis week. He can create. He can form. He can restore. He can grow. He can radically transform.

Taking the 7 days of creation, we’ve already seen the first 4.

* We know God can bring light where there has been nothing but darkness. He can show us things we have never seen before. He can bring clarity to the confusion. With his light, he can flush out the enemy from the dark corners in our mind.* We know he can bring balance where we are one big mess. He can create healthy cycles in our life of giving and receiving and smooth our rigid edges help us to flow in life without stress or strife* We know he can rescue us from our overwhelm and provide a solid foundation on which we can stand. He will drive back the waters and show us the shore. He will help us to grow and thrive. Yes, thrive, not just survive.* We know that God is guiding us. He created all of these magically glowing formations in the sky for a purpose. First, so that we would know him. So that we would be in awe of him. But also to create seasons in our life and guide us in using those seasons to live according to his good plan.

But God wasn’t finished then,

What if God saw you. I mean really saw you. What if he knows precisely where you’ve been, where you are now, and what is ahead of you? What if he absolutely delights in your journey and believes in you with every step?

My friend Bob Goff once painted a mental image for me that has stuck. He said, “Heaven’s leaning over the rails wondering if we’ll be as courageous as God thinks we are.” Hey, what if God is cheering you on?

He is. He does see you. He does know exactly where you are. He is delighting in your journey. He does believe in you, and oh my sister, he is cheering you on.

Yesterday, I watched a little icon move on a map for hours, tracking my son’s progress in his very first marathon. I could see the entire course. Where he had been and what was coming next. I could see where he would begin climbing the mountain, knowing it would be so hard. I could see where he would be running along the shore in Honolulu, knowing it would be so beautiful. I knew the sun would be coming up around mile 9. I knew he would be growing so tired around mile 20. And with every step, I watched him continue.

Me, his mother, leaning over the rails from thousands of miles away, praying he discovers all God has put within him. Me, his mother, leaning over the rails, cheering him on, delighting in his journey.

I saw his pace slowing on mile 21 on the steepest climb. It was as if my heart was outside of my own chest, hurting for him, believing in him. And in that moment, the Holy Spirit whispered to me, “This is how all of Heaven watches you!”

I am being cheered for. I am believed in. I am totally delighted over.

You are being cheered for. You are believed in. You are totally delighted over.

Maybe you’ve never felt that way in your entire life. Maybe that’s a completely foreign thought to be the one actually on a journey, and that journey being followed and championed. But the truth is, God has always been watching you. He’s always seen your journey and believed in you. He knows exactly what he put inside of you, so he intimately knows your potential. He also knows the path and who you will become along the way. He knows how you will grow. He knows what you will learn. And he knows the reward awaiting you.

Psalm 121: 7-8, “The Lord watches over your life. He keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.”

And here’s what I realized yesterday, watching my son run his marathon from such a distance, the details totally didn’t matter. I didn’t need him to win the race. I didn’t need him to be better than anyone else. I didn’t require his perfection. I simply delighted in knowing he was on his course and moving forward on his journey. And I knew this struggle would help him grow.

My friends, this must be how God watches over us. He doesn’t need us to win. He doesn’t require your performance. He just delights in your journey.

Psalm 139: 7-10, “I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.”

God knows when the hard parts are coming, and he knows this is when we truly discover his power living within us. This is when we find his guidance and his strength. And with each small step we take forward, he delights. He gathers Heaven to lean over the rails to cheer you on.

What can God do with the absence of your perfection? What can he do with the void of your confidence in what to do next? What can he do with the nothingness of your ability to fix the messes you find yourself in?

Really, what can God do with nothing? Where can he go from the absolute bottom? What can he create when you feel like you have nothing left to start with?

Oh, let me tell you precisely what he can do with absolutely nothing … he can do everything!

That’s what he has already done, and that’s what he’s willing to do again for you.

I read a scripture last night that took my breath away. It just stopped me in my tracks. You know, I love that about God’s word. It is truly a living word. It moves and flows and meets us right where we are.

Psalm 51:10 MSG, “God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.”

A Genesis week. Oh, what a thought. What would a Genesis week in your life look like?

Genesis, where we find the story of God creating the entire universe and all that is in it in one week. The week of creation. The week of taking nothing and making everything. The week of speaking and it becoming.

What if God could take the chaos in your life and shape it into a week of creating things that have never been. A week of new things coming to life. A week of fresh, untouched beauty. What if God could shape a Genesis week from the chaos of your life? Oh, he can!

Think about it.

Day 1, God said, “Let there be light”, and as soon as he spoke, light appeared and separated the darkness. You may feel the confusing darkness in your life right now. You may feel stuck not knowing what to do and where to go. But with one word, God can bring his light to your life and show you things you have never seen before. You can have a completely different perspective with his light shining on your life.

Lord, bring your light to my life. I don’t want to be stuck in this darkness. I don’t want to hide in these corners. I don’t want to stumble for another day. I don’t want to be confused by the enemy. I don’t want to be tormented by his lies here in this darkness. Let there be light in my life.

Day 2, God separated the waters from the heavens and the waters from the Earth, and he called it the sky. And here, a perfect water cycle was created. Water is absorbed into the sky, then the sky releases that water back to the earth. It’s balanced perfectly to sustain life.

If your life feels out of balance, like you’re surviving more than you’re thriving, ask God to bring balanced cycles into your life. To create a give and receive cycle that flows perfectly. You give, it receives. When it receives, then it gives back to you. A balanced cycle. No rigid “have tos”. No dread. No regret. No sucking the ever loving life out of you. A balance.

Lord, I’m out of balance. Please bring me back into balance. I have relationships out of balance. My work is out of balance. My time is out of balance. Create long lasting, life giving cycles within me. Let it flow naturally, as you desire, without stress and strife.

Day 3, God moved the waters and revealed land. Imagine for a moment what that must have looked like. These waters rushing to the east, revealing massive mountains shooting up from the deep. Then these waters creating a flow to the west, unveiling islands of dry land surrounded by turquoise. They had never been seen before, but now, on day 3, there they were. Islands and mountains, valleys and fields.

Whatever it is you are going through, God has a blessing right here for you. He’s not waiting to bless you on the other side of this, he’s meeting you right here with overflowing provisions and sweet blessings. Oh how I pray you notice them today. Dare to see what God is offering you here, even in the middle of what you’re trying to get away from.

Psalm 23:5, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”

Within this scripture are three very specific things for you today. Which one do you most need for today?

* You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

Yes, exactly where I’m being attacked, God provides for my needs. In the precise area of my life where I am hurting, God brings provisions to strengthen me. Where the enemy is attacking and making my life hard, God has a table set up for me. A table where I can sit. A table where I can rest. A table where everything I need has been provided for me.

Does it mean the enemy just disappears and turns to attack someone else? No. Does it mean all your problems go away? No. But what it does mean is you will be provided for here.

And isn’t this true? Isn’t God being so sweet to personally provide for you while you’re going through this? Don’t you see the table he has prepared here for you? Just when you didn’t think you could get up to walk through this reality for another day, God has given you strength for today. Just when you thought you were completely stuck without any other options, God has shown up and opened another door for you.

One of my best friends recently lost her husband. But, oh how God has been so gracious to prepare a table for her here. He perfectly timed the arrival of their first grandbaby before her husband’s funeral even happened. He provided financially. He has given peace in a time when peace didn’t make sense. And every time there’s an especially hard day for her, she receives a loving call or a text at just the right time. God has prepared this table for her. A table for her battle. A table to give her everything she needs to continue. Because she recognizes the table prepared for her, she has complete confidence in her journey.

Do you see the table God has prepared for you in the past? Look at how he provided. Look at how he strengthened. He got you through, didn’t he? And let me tell you, your enemy saw how God showed up for you! The devil took note that you’re a girl with God going before her. He knows you’re provided for supernaturally. He’s been defeated!

So, won’t God do it again? Won’t he prepare another table for you in this battle? Won’t he go ahead of you and set up provisions precisely where you will need them? Won’t he align everything you need in your toughest of times? Yes he will.

Girl, sit down at the table today. Look what God has done for you here. What you need is here. Today’s table is enough, and tomorrow he will have another table prepared for you as you move forward. God is that good, and he loves you that much.

* You anoint my head with oil.

The author of this Psalm is David. David was a shepherd boy. He professionally cared for sheep. As a shepherd, he carried with him a special jar of oil. This oil was for the head of his sheep to protect them from flies.

In the pastures, the flies were so vicious, it would nearly drive the sheep mad. The flies would fester in the sheep’s eyes and nose and ears. The flies would lay eggs in the sheep’s flesh.

Today, God is leading us to a battle to teach us a lesson. It’s a lesson we need. A lesson that will help us see our struggles from a different perspective. A lesson that will help us appreciate where we are, even when it’s not where we wanted to be.

The battle is between the Israelites and the Arameans. Now before you think this battle from 870 years before Jesus is completely irrelevant to your life today, I assure you, this fits perfectly. So perfectly, you’re about to be blown away. Prepare yourself.

We find the battle in 1 Kings chapter 20. This was a conflict that had been going on for quite some time. The Israelites would attack, then the Arameans would attack. Each army would retreat and regroup, then the battle would start all over again. Now, we’re picking up after several head on collisions between these two armies. 1 Kings 20: 22-28, “Afterward, the prophet came to the king of Israel and said, “Strengthen your position and see what must be done, because next spring the king of Aram will attack you again.”

Meanwhile, the officials of the king of Aram advised him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. That is why they were too strong for us. But if we fight them on the plains, surely we will be stronger than them. Do this: Remove all the kings from their commands and replace them with other officers. You must also raise an army like the one you lost—horse for horse and chariot for chariot—so we can fight Israel on the plains. Then surely we will be stronger than them.” He agreed with them and acted accordingly.

The next spring Ben-Hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. When the Israelites were also mustered and given provisions, they marched out to meet them. The Israelites camped opposite them like two small flocks of goats, while the Arameans covered the countryside.
The man of God came up and told the king of Israel, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because the Arameans think the Lord is a god of the hills and not a god of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will know that I am the Lord.’”

So, the battle begins, and there in the valley, where the Arameans thought the Israelites were only protected by their God on the mountains, the Israelites destroyed the Arameans. How? Because our God is the God of the mountains and the God of the valleys.

He is your God in the ups and in the downs. When it’s going right and when it’s going wrong. When you like it and when you don’t.

Why is it you think God is only guiding you and blessing you when you’re on top of the mountain? Why would you assume God’s good plans for you are only mountain top experiences? Oh, what a mistake it is to assume God is only God on top of the mountain. The Lord is God in the valley as well.

He is still God when you’re down. He is still God when you lose your job. He is still God when you’re sick. He’s still God when you’re grieving. He’s still God when things are hard.

This is your valley, and Sis, God will fight for you in this valley! He will bring you victory in this valley. Praise him in this valley!

We can’t just praise him on the mountain. We can’t just be happy when we’ve overcome our struggles. Why would you ever withhold your joy for after the hard climb is over? God doesn’t just wait for you at the top, he sits with you at the bottom. He provides for you in the valley.

What a terrible mistake it is to assume, like the Arameans, that our Lord is a god of the hills and not a god of the valleys. Don’t miss the fact that God will fight the greatest battles for you ...

Within you are likely places that have dried up. Old dreams and hopes that have died. What was once exciting and worth waking up for has become ordinary and unimpressive. Maybe life feels less than exciting right now. You’re droopy, low energy, withering away, and honestly you hate the fact that you’re nothing like you used to be. You use to be full of life. You used to be vibrant and energized. You used to be perky and happy. You used to be growing and getting better.

But somewhere along the way, that stopped.

What happened?

Is that you? Maybe it’s not your whole life, but at least some areas have become stagnant. Maybe it’s your marriage, or your other relationships. It just feels dull. You’re going through the motions, and those motions have become something you dread. Maybe it’s your health journey or your spiritual walk. You’ve lost your spunk and every thing you know you need to do feels more like a chore you have to do.

What has happened to you is natural. It’s a natural part of life to struggle sometimes. It’s the struggle that brings us back to God. It’s the struggle that serves as a warning sign that continuing as you have been is not taking you where you want to go. So, we wake up. So, we start searching for the thing that will bring us back to life again.

I asked God what I need, because the truth is, I feel it too. I feel the dread creep in. I feel the excitement lessen. I feel the monotony of the same old thing over and over again as I wither a little more. God showed me what I need in such a practical way. He showed me through my pineapple plant.

I have a potted pineapple plant that is growing a tiny pineapple. It’s just the cutest darn thing you’ve ever seen. Within that pot is also a sweet potato vine. That little bright green vine literally grows 4 inches a day in my Florida sunshine. But this fast paced growth quickly halts and turns into withered leaves if I don’t continually water it. This plant requires so much water. Three days without water will have my pineapple plant and sweet potato vine straight up giving up on life. Oh it gets so pitiful so quick. It needs water.

And God showed me, this is what I need. I need water. Living water. Without it, I get pitiful quick.

Isn’t this what you need too? You need living water to revive those dried up spaces in your life. Let’s take a trip to the well with Jesus this morning.

John 4: 5-15, “So he came to a town in Samaria near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

Have you ever listened to a familiar song and suddenly had it hit different? Like the words just came to life and moved you as never before.

That was me yesterday. Early on Sunday mornings while living here on the island, I take my dog down to the water to swim. The rest of the island is hung over from their Saturday night, so it’s quiet and peaceful. Unlike all the other weekday mornings of coming to the water, I bring my chair so I can sit on Sunday mornings, and I turn on worship music. Yesterday, I selected a random worship playlist on Spotify for a new mix of songs.

This is my Jesus time. It’s quiet, there’s nothing in front of me but open turquoise waters and the occasional fish jumping or boat passing by.

So there I sit in my Tommy Bahama beach chair, worship music flooding my ears through my airpods, eyes filled with the beauty of the Florida Keys waters, and an older familiar songs plays. A song I know every word of. I wonder if you do too.

From the first 3 words of the chorus, I bet you can sing it.

Spirit lead me … (where my trust is without borders)

Let me walk upon the waters … (wherever you may call me)

Take me deeper than my … (feet could ever wander)

And my faith will be made stronger … (in the presence of my savior)

I too have sang those words countless times. I sang them at my best friends funeral. I sang them in countless church services. I sang them in the car with the windows rolled down. I sang them sitting by my Daddy’s bed, holding his hand as he took a peak inside heaven for the first time. I’ve played this song at retreats standing high atop a bluff overhanging the ocean. I’ve written several devotionals on this song. Yet this time, it hit different.

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders.

Do I have borders on my trust in God?

Lord, I trust you with all of that, but not this. This, well this, I hold on to. This just can’t be surrendered. This is too personal. It’s too fragile. I can’t let you in this, God. But you can have everything else. I trust you wholly, completely with the rest of my life. Have your will, free reign is yours … up to these borders.

What borders have you placed on your trust? What area of your life do you still maintain control? Where have you kept God out?

Why would we do that?

We can paint it up pretty, but at the core, it’s purely a lack of trust. This is a trust issue. We struggle to trust that God is always good, God always knows best, and he is always working things together for good. I mean what if I let God into this sacred space that I’ve been protecting, and God happens to be in a bad mood that day?

For real, have you ever worried that maybe God is going to be in a bad mood, and your surrendered will is going to be trampled on? That maybe he’s going to make a real mess of what you’ve been trying so hard to hold together. That he might get it wrong and ruin all you’ve been trying to protect.

That’s a trust issue. But, to be fair, it’s hard to trust what you can’t see. It’s hard to trust what you can’t understand. It’s hard to trust what you can’t control.

I don’t trust Artificial Intelligence. I’ve watched entirely too many robot movies. I know how that ends. I’ll clean my own house, thank you. I’ll also write my own devotionals. My son recently asked me if I use ChatGPT for my work.

As humans, we have a unique way of turning a blessing into a burden. We assume responsibilities never meant to be our own. We tie strings and conditions making simple things fussy and good things overwhelming. And we’re left with trying to rush through what we should be enjoying, dreading what we should be celebrating, and totally missing the point.

It’s now December. This is the month 35% of us go into debt to buy Christmas presents, and 20% of us are still trying to pay off last year’s Christmas debt. 52% of us most dread wrapping those Christmas presents. 42% of us are anxious or depressed over the holidays. 61% of us are totally dreading Christmas.

Happy Holidays, y’all.

And this is what we’ve done to Jesus’ birthday. This is how we remember the greatest gift ever given to us. We’ve screwed this all up.

I feel the Holy Spirit whispering, “This was never meant to be a burden.”

We miss the point. But we don’t miss it all on our own. That’s the plan of the enemy. Miss the point of Christmas. Dread this. He has twisted our celebration of the gift of Jesus into an overwhelming obligation of show. And we’ve participated in this twisting and bought into the chaos.

When my kids were little, they weren’t allowed to touch any of my MANY Christmas trees in the house. They were a show, and they were perfect. Christmas outfits were matching and photos were miserable. The kids were hyper and I was on edge. I bought things I couldn’t afford to buy, only to watch it never played with. And Jesus was impressed with none of this.

Why? Because I, once again, totally forgot to be impressed by him. I wasn’t thinking about the Creator of the Universe coming to Earth in human form to rescue and save me. I wasn’t thinking about the miracle of Jesus. I was thinking about impressive decorations, an impressive gift for the exchange, impressive cookies for the neighborhood, and impressive photos to document it all.

The most wonderful time of the year had become the most expensive, most hectic, most stressful time of the year. Oh, and yeah, there’s Jesus too.

Hebrews 12:2 MSG, “Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed.”

We’ve lost sight of what we’re doing and now we’re doing all these things out of burden rather than blessing.The solution: Keep your eyes on Jesus.

Everything we do for Christmas should be centered on Jesus. We’re celebrating his birthday. His willingness to step down from the heavenlies and experience life in human form, all to save us. The perfect, sacrificial lamb for our atonement.

He came to simplify the path to God. No more rituals and sacrifices. Simply our faith, then an abundance of grace. That’s what he did.

God wanted simplicity. With Jesus, he erased all the laws and rules. He demolished all the barriers. He overcame all the complicated steps of obtaining holiness. And he simply said, JESUS is the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to me, but through him.

What wonderful news! God made it so simple. And our response to this powerful simplicity has been to complicate the heck out of the celebration, and in the process, totally miss the point.

I read the 3 rules of Christmas:

* Don’t go into debt trying to show people how much you love them.
* Don’t go home to see family if it damages your mental health.

Is it possible for you to impress God? I mean really set yourself apart in his eyes with your good works. Can you do that?

Well, let me tell you something, I’ve tried. Dang, I’ve tried. I can’t count how many boxes I’ve checked just to follow the rules and be a good girl worthy of blessings. On the outside it looks real nice, but on the inside, it leaves me wondering if I’ve done enough. Then, in my classic human form, I fail to check a box. I screw up. I sin. Then begins the litany of thoughts of unworthiness. Ultimately, I wind up in a place of fear. I become afraid God is disappointed with me, and in his disappointment he will punish me.

Does anyone else play this cat and mouse game of good works and fear? Checking boxes and unworthiness. Earning blessings and dodging punishment.

I do it. A lot, actually. My sincere offerings to God soon turn into a daily obligation, and if I don’t do it, I feel guilty. That guilt tells me bad things are going to happen to me. And ultimately the fear of something bad happening to me deepens my commitment to a daily obligation and lessens my sincere offering to God. I know God is not impressed, so what do I do? I try harder.

Is God impressed by my guilt? Is he disappointed in my guilt? Is he more likely to bless me when I am sincere, and more likely to withdraw his blessings when my motives are selfish?

Do you ever ask these questions? Seriously, here’s a peak into my mind. I offer this with a risk of judgment from people who perhaps have their spiritual life in better order, but judge away if you feel the need. Here’s the truth. This past weekend, I was sick. I straight up didn’t feel good. On Saturday morning, I rolled straight from the bed and onto the couch. I skipped an important part of my morning. I didn’t pray. The pillow was laying on the floor beside my bed as it always is, but my knees didn’t hit it. At the end of the day when I saw the pillow still laying on the floor as my prompt to pray, I not only felt guilt, but I felt fear. What if something terrible happened to one of my children that day because I didn’t pray over them?

Again, this is me trying to earn God’s blessings, provision and protection. I earn it with my faithfulness. I earn it with my good works. And if I fail to do good, then I fear punishment. If God is not impressed by me, will he be disappointed in me? If God is disappointed in me, does he turn his back on me?

I’m naturally a doer, a worker, an achiever. And guess what … God needs absolutely NONE of that from me. None. My head knows that, but my heart is still trying to catch on.

Anyone else on this same journey? Anyone else trying to earn God’s approval and check all the boxes so you qualify for his blessings? Is there anyone showing up today, listening to a daily devotional, because there’s a box you gotta check. In the beginning it was because you sincerely wanted to grow closer to God, but it has somehow warped into an obligation, which when met, you become worthy. When unmet, you feel guilty. And that guilt leads to fear.

But, Ephesians 2: 8-9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”

It is GRACE that saves me, not my works. I have done absolutely nothing to earn God’s goodness in my life, it is purely a gift that comes through faith. And if I can’t earn it, that also means I can’t “un-earn” it.

I’m still trying to wrap my mind around that. I’m not quite there yet. But I know this much,

God has something for you exactly where you are. Right here, in this season, in this place, he’s doing something. But honey, if you’re just trying to run away from it, escape it, and rush through to the next thing, you’re missing what he’s doing here.

I heard a story of a woman who refused to buy towels because she knew she would be getting towels at her wedding shower. The problem was, she wasn’t even dating anyone. That may not be you, but I bet you have your own equivalent. You won’t enjoy where you’re at because it’s not where you want to stay. You’re missing the fullness of here and now because you’re hyper focused on where you haven’t arrived yet and what you’re still waiting to have.

But you know what God wants for you? God wants you to run so hard in the lane he has given you, that you don’t miss one ounce of joy he has for you along the way. You’re missing it when you continually think you’ll “be happy when”. You’ll be happy when you’re married. You’ll be happy when you have babies. You’ll be happy when you find a different job. You’ll be happy when you get a new house. You’ll be happy when the kids all come home for Christmas. You’ll be happy when your pants fit. You’ll be happy when it’s 80 degrees again.

But honey, if that’s not the lane God has given you right now, you’re missing the journey.

This is the perpetual loop the enemy plays in to make us miss the goodness of our God. Hey, if he can’t wreck your life, he will at least attempt to distract you from your life and get you out of your lane.

What is the lane God has given you, and how can you run in it? Well Sis, you woke up to it this morning. Your reality, as sweet as it may be, or as chaotic and messy as it may be, is your lane. It won’t always be this way because the lane doesn’t stop here, it’s just passing through. But God wants you to be here in your lane, and run this thing. Show up for your life like you actually mean it. Be intentional with your days. Recognize the answered prayers you’re already living in and trust so much more is working together for your future.

But your future depends on today. Today is what you have. Live this one. There’s nothing dangling in your future that holds the key to your happiness. You’ll get there and find it’s never perfect and the path continues.

Matthew 6: 33, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

You’ve likely heard that scripture before, but what does it mean to seek God’s kingdom and righteousness first? Does it mean to only think about heaven and ignore the realities of life here on Earth? Does it mean to refuse to enjoy where you are now because this is not your destination?

If I’m being honest, seeking God’s kingdom and his righteousness doesn’t sound overly exciting to me. It sounds like something I “have to do”, not something I get to do. If I were to declare, today I’m seeking God’s kingdom, I don’t even know what my day should look like. Is God’s kingdom in my dishes? Is God’s kingdom in my workout? Is his righteousness in anything I’m doing at all? And if it were, would it take away all the fun?

If we’re going to apply God’s word to our lives, we must understand it better. So, let’s dig deeper and see what Jesus is really telling us. The MSG translation of Matthew 6: 33-34 puts it like this, “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right no...