Tabetha’s Devotions

September 26, 2017

Purposeful Not Perfect

Matthew 24:13–14 MSG

Staying with it—that’s what God requires. Stay with it to the end. You won’t be sorry, and you’ll be saved. All during this time, the good news—the Message of the kingdom will be preached all over the world, a witness staked out in every country. And then the end will come.

I am reading a book called Uncommon by Carey Scott. She points out that we evangelize with our actions just as much, if not more than, with our words. I don’t say this to put pressure on you. As a matter of fact, Carey also says in her book that perfection is a lie. We should not strive to live perfect lives but instead purposeful lives.

I spent way too much of my life and energy trying to be perfect. I spend even more time beating myself up because I never meet the expectations. My need for perfection drove me into depression. I am learning to be purposeful. As a matter of fact, I spend some days being purposeful about being purposeful.

When I am being purposeful, it is OK when things don’t go my way. It is OK when I make mistakes. When I am being purposeful everything becomes a Chance for God to shine through. It is a time for my actions to shine brighter than my words.

It is here that I wanted to write a beautiful prayer. However, instead of trying to be perfect I am going to be purposeful. I am going to leave you with Carey’s words instead.

Lord, help me be a light in the world—not perfectly, but purposefully. Help my words and actions point others to You. Sometimes sharing my faith makes me anxious because the world is becoming intolerant. Would You give me the courage to evangelize anyway? Would You help me preach with my words and my actions? I am available to You and will walk through the doors You open. I want to be part of the reason Your name is praised in all the world. Please give me the boldness and confidence to not cower but instead, stand strong as I praise my Father in heaven. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Uncommon
Carey Scott

September 25, 2017

Keep Moving Forward

Psalms 37:24

If he stumbles, he’s not down for long; God has a grip on his hand. (The Message)

For those of you who don’t know, I am working on my Doctorate degree in Curriculum and Education. I have finished all of the classwork. Two weeks ago, I had to turn in a final exam that consisted of writing two papers. The next steps should be to propose my dissertation, write my dissertation, and then finally defend my dissertation. The problem is I have hit a snag. I did not pass the exams on my first try.

Now, the good news is they sent me the rubric with all of the evaluator’s comments. One of my papers lacked a connection between two parts. The evaluator said both halves were well developed but I need to work on connecting them. As for the second paper, I got lots of nice comments on it. The only thing I did wrong was not write enough.

I was disappointed when I first read the email. It is never easy to get a rejection. However, when I sat down and read the comments, God graced me with a heart prepared to receive critique and not read it as criticism. He had also been preparing me over the past several months during training I received through Proverbs 31 ministries on becoming a writer. One issue we discuss all of the time is how to accept rejection and move one.

I have stumbled, but I am not down for long; God has a grip on my hand. I know he has called me to this path and I am going to keep walking.

What does that look like now? Well, I have two weeks to make corrections and resubmit by exam. So, I will pray and put pen to paper and do what God has called me to do…WRITE!

I would welcome any extra prayers you can send my way.

September 22, 2017

Find Your Bright Side

Psalm 94:19
When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.

It is Friday! So what does that mean? Well, it means it is time for your Bright Side!

I am not going to lie to you, this week is kind of hard for me to give a bright side. Between storms, earthquakes, nuclear threats and a shooting at a local high school, let’s just say it has been a rough week. However, I am going to try an old idea and give you five gratitudes to counteract all my negativity this week. Here it goes…

I am thankful that all my family and friends in Texas and Florida were safe and had minimal damage done to their properties.
I am thankful that, so far, the threat is just that, a threat and preparations are being done to keep everyone as safe as possible.
I am thankful no one was killed in the shooting or seriously injured including the shooter, who has been caught and is getting the help he needs.
I am thankful that I have air conditioning in this unseasonably warm weather pattern we have had for the last couple of days.
I am thankful for my wonderful service dog who has had to put in some overtime this week while my anxiety levels and PTSD went through the roof.

Hey! I did it! Even though all of the gloom and doom, I found some light. It may sound a little Pollyanna-ish, but playing the glad game really does work.

Besides what is the point in giving into the darkness and letting hope die. It certainly doesn’t make me feel better. It doesn’t solve the problem. When you have hope you can keep working on the problem and at least try to fix or do something. When you have hope you realize God is still on his throne and is still in control.

I am old enough to have seen the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, Oklahoma City Bombing, 911, countless natural disasters and many other tragedies. One thing I have learned is the world keeps turning. The sun keeps coming out and life goes on. I have to decide if I am going to go on with it.

Today my Bright Side is I am moving on too!

September 21, 2017

Find My Way Back

Psalm 119:105

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

There are days when you get pummeled from every side. Those are the days you stop and go, “Wait just a minute! Satan you are not going to get away with this.”

I also know Satan is not behind every bad thing that happens to us. First of all, he can’t be everywhere all of the time. Unlike God, he is not omnipresent. Can I please hear an AMEN to that one!

So, what about his little minions? No, I am not referring to those adorable little yellow guys. I, of course, am referring to demons. Yes, I am sure they are around and cause havoc, but they still aren’t behind every bush.

No, I believe sometimes bad things just happen. I also believe there are times when Satan is sitting back laughing because he doesn’t have to lift a finger. We humans are pretty good and creating horrible situations all on our own.

Let’s also get honest here. We can never say the devil made me do it. We always have choices.

I find my students complaining about rules and they inevitable say we have no choice. I remind them they always have choices. They can always choose to not follow the rules. We always have choices, we just have to weigh if the consequences are worth our choice.

Our daily lives are the same as my kiddos. We all have choices and consequences. Many times we just figure the consequences are worth it. We take the wrong path and we find ourselves in trouble. No, the devil did not make me do it. No, the demons didn’t set me up. Even if the last one was true, I was still in the final control. I made the decision. I chose my path.

Here is the rainbow. When we find ourselves lost, we know the direction to look. UP! We will find the great navigator just waiting for us to ask directions back to safety. He is waiting with his grace and loving warm arms wide open. He has the perfect directions to get you home and he will even light the path!

September 20, 2017

Let Me Straighten My Crown

Psalm 100:3a, ESV
Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his.

Somedays I feel defeated, beat down, ran over, and then backed up to see what they hit! Satan just attacks, attacks and then just for fun attacks some more.

When this happens I have two choices: Rollover and give in or Fight! My best weapons to fight are to remind Satan just who I am and who I serve.

I am…

John 1:2 I am a child of God

Romans 15:7 I am accepted by God

Colossians 2:9-10 I am brought into fullness by the head over EVERY power and authority (yes, even yours Satan!)

1 Corinthians 6:16 I am one with the Lord in spirit.

Romans 6:6 I am no longer a slave to sin

Jeremiah 1:5 I am a prophet to the nations

1 Corinthians 6:19 I am a temple of the Holy Spirit

And my personal favorite: I am chosen, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that I may declare the praises of him who called me out of darkness into his wonderful light! 1 Peter 2:9

Here are few sayings that roam around in my head when I need a little Holy Spirit pep-talk.

Instead of “Don’t mess with the bull, young man. You’ll get the horns,”.
I prefer, Don’t mess with the Saint, dear Satan. You’ll get the cross.

*SPOILER ALERT* I read the end of the book.

Don’t make me straighten my crown and remind you who I am!

Yes, Satan look out because I just remembered that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made me, and I am His.

September 19, 2017

T.H.I.N.K.

Ephesians 4:29

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Some days I just wish I could unload a verbal assault!

The anger burns inside because someone has said something whether it is behind my back or to my face. Maybe I read some stupid comment or post on social media. It could be about me, my kids, my students, my family, my friends or maybe it is just some different political or ideological viewpoint. It doesn’t really matter, I am steamed and ready to blow.

Today was one of those days.

Have you ever been here? Standing on a cliff and ready to jump in with both feet without thinking first. All you know and care about is you have been wronged someway, somehow and now you are out for revenge.

I have been here one too many times. I recently read a book by Karen Ehman called Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All. It was a fantastic book. She taught me how to ask an important question when I get so angry.

Is what I am about to say going to be helpful?

Sometimes, when I am upset, I really do need to say something. The person I am upset at may not even know they upset me. It may have been a misunderstanding. However, if what I have to say and the way I say it are only going to make the matter worse is it really helpful to say it? Do I need to step back, take a breath, and consider the best way to approach the situation?

Or perhaps I don’t need to say anything at all because it really isn’t going to make a difference. Just like today.

No matter how I choose to handle the situation today or tomorrow, I do know what God expects of me.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. ~Ephesians 4:29

September 18, 2017

Fear Fighting

Psalm 16:8 (GNT)
I am always aware of the LORD’S presence; he is near, and nothing can shake me.

Fears come in many forms. It is more than normal to be afraid of things.

My daughter is in the Air Force. She has been trained to kill. She takes plains apart and puts them back together. However, she sees the tiniest of spiders and she is grabbing her AK47 to take it out! By the way, I have a male co-worker who would grab an entire arsenal and follow right alongside her, so don’t think it is just a girl thing.

I have an irrational fear of sharks. I had the “pleasure” of being in Jaws 3 as an extra and although I never did a scene with Bruce (the animatronic shark), I am still petrified of great whites. I mean seriously, I have to keep my eyes closed in Finding Nemo when Bruce is on the screen.

Fear of failure or embarrassing yourself can keep you from doing great things. I know I have been so scared because I felt totally inadequate. As a matter of fact, you are reading a fear of mine right now. I was so afraid to open up a blog and begin writing. There are still days I sit and look at my computer and wonder who I think I am. Who wants to read anything I would write? I often have to take a deep breath and remember it isn’t about me. It is what God has called me to do. I just need to show up and do my best and let him handle the rest.

Another form of fear is found in my PTSD. Lately, I have had some major struggles in this area. I have woke up with night terrors and not sure where I am or what just happened. After a recent sleepless night, because I refused to go back to sleep after waking up from a dream, I reached for a book to read and came across Psalm 16:8.

Through this verse, God reminded me I wasn’t alone. My demons could not hurt me. They were just playing with my mind again.

Now, this next part may seem a little silly to some people, and that is fine. This idea just isn’t for you, but it worked for me and so I am sharing it in case there is someone else who needs to hear it. The next night, when I went to bed, I was once again struck with the fear of sleeping. So, I created a verse image and put it on my iPad and kept in on next to my bed. This way when I woke up the first thing I would see was the verse and I could read it and fight back against my fear. I also put my bible on my nightstand. I know in all reality it is physically just a book, but sometimes just reaching out and touching it reminds me of who I am and whose presence I am in and who is going to fight my battles.

My demons can never stay in the presence of God. They cannot win when I remind them of who I am and more importantly who my Father is. I just have to be made aware of the LORD’s presence; he is near, and nothing can shake me.

I hope this helps someone out there. Remember no matter what your fear is, God is there too!

September 15, 2017

Bright Side!

2 Corinthians 9:8

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

So what’s your bright side today?

I happen to think there is a little bit of a poet in all of us. I mean when you walk around and you hear a bird and you stop for a second to listen or see the sun reflect just so off of a flower and stop, you show your poet side.

Blessings don’t have to be big life-altering events. Blessings can be found anywhere and anytime. As funny as it sounds, this morning I saw the sun reflect off a road sign and it made it sparkle and shine. It made me smile at how beautiful it was. That was a blessing.

How many times have you been in a hurry, you get to the store and someone just happens to be pulling out of a close spot? That is a blessing.

How about opening your purse when you are dying for a soda and you are short. You look down and there just happens to be a quarter on the ground. Yep! Blessing!

Personal favorite! I am exhausted when I get off work, but I know when I get home I need to clean the kitchen. I walk in and my hubby has already taken care of it! MAJOR BLESSING!

Believe me when I say that somedays those small blessings are hard to find. It is so hard to find a blessing in the middle of depression. Sometimes my being willing to look for a blessing IS my blessing for that day.

I don’t know what your blessings are today, but I am guaranteeing no matter what you are going through there is a blessing around you somewhere. Look for it! Search it out! Do not stop until you find it! Then hold it tight. It is your gift from God just to make you smile!

Share your bright side with others in the comments. Maybe your sharing will be some’s blessing they need to hear.

September 14, 2017

Finding Peace in Exhaustion

Psalm 4:8
In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Going back to school can be exhausting for everyone students, parents and yes, teachers. Add to that the ever popular back to school virus that inevitably makes it rounds and you have some very exhausted and cranky people.

It has been a very long week. My poor husband has had to put up with a lot. I have been sick for two weeks. I am usually OK for the first week of being sick, but then the sick of being sick sets in and I get cranky.

It puts me in a tailspin and quite frankly strengthens my depression. I push all day to keep it together and then I head home. Home, where I can be me and not pretend all is OK anymore. Home, where I can put my smile away. Home, where I can lay down and sleep in peace.

Well, I can at least lay down. When I am in this mood it is so hard to find peace.

I recently found Psalm 4:8. When I am struggling to find that peace, I remind myself it is already there. It is all around me. I just have to accept it. This doesn’t come easy, but reciting this verse over and over strengthens me. It gives me the peace to lay down and sleep. I can dwell in the Lord’s safety. It often starts very small, but it does grow.

Are there verses that bring you comfort and strength? I would love to see you share them in the comments. Help strengthen others. Remember we write to leave a part of us behind as a map to those who follow.

September 13, 2017

Fair Weather Fan

Psalm 28:6

Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy.

Last year, the Chicago Cubs found themselves with a lot more fans. It is amazing how people started crawling out of the nowhere. I mean people that didn’t know their infield from their outfield where all of a sudden Chicago Cubs experts.

It is easy to be a fan when your team is on top. It takes a true fan to stick with them the other 108 years!

Unfortunately, so many people see Christianity the same way. God is awesome when things are going your way. When you can stand on that mountain and shout the joys and praises to him all is good, but what about those dark days? Those days when it feels like this:

Imprisoned
Shackled
Darkness surrounds
Deep down inside

Those words are harsh
They cut like a knife
No longer in control
Deep down inside

Why don’t they stop
Can’t they see the pain
It’s so dark
Deep down inside

The tears are streaming
The anger is raging
Why is it so dark
Deep down inside

I hear my voice
I try to scream
I am here in the dark
Deep down inside

Too late now
The damage is done
I must wait in the dark
Deep down inside

The light will come
It always does
But for now, I wait
Deep down inside

Can you praise God for hearing your cry even when he hasn’t rescued you from it? Can you thank him before the answer comes? Can you praise him when the answer is no?

Christian’s don’t live a life of rainbows and unicorns. Dark days come and dark days go. Continuing to praise the Lord through it all is what makes you a true fan.

Tabetha’s Devotions

Posts

Purposeful Not Perfect

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Keep Moving Forward

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Find Your Bright Side

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Find My Way Back

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Let Me Straighten My Crown

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T.H.I.N.K.

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Fear Fighting

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Bright Side!

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Finding Peace in Exhaustion

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Fair Weather Fan

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