Sunday Writing... 7-28-19... "LIVING WILD"

Good morning!

In today's devotional, "LIVING WILD," we read about how we often worry about things that may never even come to pass, causing fear and leading to other problems.  But God has a better plan in mind...

This weekend we held a Pastors' Wives and Widows Retreat in two different states with the theme of "BLOOM Where You Are Planted."  See how this applies to all Christians!

Blessings,
Jan

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Today's Devotional: 

"LIVING WILD"

by

Jan Andersen

There are many worries in this world.  Sometimes those concerns are unfounded, but they can feel very real.  There may be fears of current issues or future possibilities.  We worry about health and wellbeing, for ourselves or our immediate family or friends.  We may worry about our jobs, our material goods, or our relationships.  If we lose our income, how will we afford our home, our car, or even our next meal?  What if our family abandons us because they think we aren't trying to make a living?  If we become homeless, then how will we clean up and look for a job?  What will we wear if we have no place to keep or care for our clothes?  If we can't even clean up and dress up, how will we ever get back on our feet and find a place to live again?  All of these nightmares, imagined or not, can lead to us wanting to escape from the pain of reality by numbing with substances or activities that absorb our very being and create even more problems and worries.

But God has a better plan in mind for us, and he gives us an example in the simple wildflowers of the fields:

Luke 12:22-23, 27-28 (NIV) Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes... Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you..."

This past winter we had a wonderful desert bloom of wildflowers due to getting just the right amount of rain at the right times over the past 2 years.  But normally it is so easy to miss all the wonderful varieties of flowers growing along the roadside as we rush about our daily lives driving from place to place.  It is amazing how delicate they are yet strong enough to survive in the desert.  Bird-sowers help them along, as do breezes and a few more well-timed showers. Even when we have a thick carpet of wildflowers, they pass through their bloom season quickly and go to seed, only to spawn the next generation in the nearby fertile soil.  And they do it with nary a worry - living wild!

And so it can be with our lives also.  Our faithful God has promised to care for us in every need. Sure, we must do our part.  But when troubles arise, as they will for everyone, we can learn to live wild like the wildflowers of the fields which are content to bloom where they are planted and not wish to be elsewhere or to be some other flower.  May we also be so content and trusting in God!

Almighty creator Father in heaven, we thank you for planting us where we are today. Help us to bloom to your glory so that others may see your amazing handiwork. May we be content to be the flower that we are and not to envy the blossoms that we were not created to be. Thank you for your forgiveness of our wrongdoings and for your free gift of salvation through faith in Christ. Keep us from worrying about tomorrow so that we might live in joy in the present and help cultivate the faith of others in your son, Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen.

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Song:

CAST MY CARES

Finding Favour

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Prayers are lifted up daily for you by the Devotional Writers and the Monthly Writing Staff of Women's Focus Ministries

Blog Writers

Sandy Billingham, Karen Bennett, 

 Brother Thomas Ukwute, Jody Ward,  

Bre Miller, Betty Espindola,  Lynda Kinnard

Amie Spruiell, Debbie Rodriguez, Carol Steficek,

Jan Andersen and Corinne Mustafa