Show Caregivers You C.A.R.E.

Pam Farrel is a prolific writer, but that's not why I love her. She is one of the most caring women I know—so often reaching out to boost up or help others. Pam has gone through some tough years—as she writes about in this Caregiving UPGRADE—and she speaks from the wisdom and expanded compassion of personal experience.

"National Alliance for Caregiving announced that the number of caregivers in the USA rose by 9.5 million between 2015 and 2020," Pam says.

"One in five people is a caregiver. We are two of those caregivers."

On a personal note, I (Dawn) have "encouraged" my sister who is the caregiver for our elderly mother, and now I'm watching my husband and his siblings care for their parents. I have growing compassion for these sacrificial caregivers.

I'm so glad Pam is sharing her thoughts about how to encourage caregiving heroes as they honor their loved ones with sacrificial care.

Pam continues . . .

Bill’s parents—one frail of mind, the other frail of body—needed more and more help, so we sold our home and gave away most of our worldly belongings to downsize to live near them.  

Four years ago, we moved to a live-aboard boat, which provided a nurturing environment to our caregiving souls.

However, with COVID-19, we had to move inland to a 300-square-foot RV on his parents’ land, because we were and are the safest people to provide the caregiving Bill’s now 92-year-old parents need.

We have been in Christian ministry all of our 42 years of marriage, and these last four years are, by far, the most challenging ministry assignment God has ever asked us to take on.

However, in the darkness, the stars shine the brightest!

Caregiving often involves many family members and friends. (This is Bill, sitting next to his dad, and joined by other family members.)

We have seen the beautiful side of humanity and the love of God extended to us through the C.A.R.E. others have extended to us.

                          Our friends have held us up,

                    as we have held up our aging parents.

How can we C.A.R.E for those who 'care give' others?

C —Check in and Check on the Caregiver

It is easy to feel invisible in your life as a caregiver.

• The person you are attending to may or may not be thankful, grateful, or appreciative.
• Some of those you care for may not even have the ability to verbalize their thanks—or cognitively, they might not be able to grasp the great sacrifices you are making.
• Others, like aging parents, or a disabled family member, might initially show thanks with words or actions, but many, as their health declines, will lose their ability to give thanks—or perhaps will even forget your name!

That is why all caregivers need their "Epaphroditus."

During our caregiving years, I have written and published Discovering Joy in Philippians: A Creative Bible Study Experience, and among the cast of characters in the apostle Paul’s life was a very faithful friend: Epaphroditus:

I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need. ...

Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.

I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious.

So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men,

for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me (Philippians 2:25, 27-30).

Paul was writing from prison, and in those days, your friends and family needed to provide ALL your needs—or you went without!

Epaphroditus was such a great friend that he gathered money and goods and risked his own health to make sure Paul got his needs met.

For Bill and me, even an encouraging text, a colorful greeting card, or a social media message asking, “How are YOU?” is one way God has reminded us that He sees, He cares, and He will move on our behalf.

A — Assist with Practical Help

Galatians 6:2 reminds us, Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

In this verse, we are asked to bear another’s burden, or personal weight, upon oneself—by choice! When we do this, we fulfill the greatest commandment:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself' (Mark 12:30-31).

During the COVID-19 pandemic, our already-difficult season of caregiving got even harder!

In two days, two years’ worth of our speaking was cancelled or postponed. Like many, it was a financial crisis!

Those friends and family in our Living Love-Wise Community rallied. Many:

• Sent financial donations,
• Called, and asked what practical help they might offer,
• Hosted us in their homes when we did travel for ministry,
• Recommended us for paid ministry,
• Referred us as life coaches,
• Extended writing and virtual speaking opportunities, and
• Lavished us with gift cards for necessities.

(Notice all those action words?) Their practical help held our heads above the rushing storm waters. 

R — Resource Respite

Caregivers get weary.

For the past several years, Bill’s dad has called his son’s phone all night long, every night, night after night. We are sleep-deprived.

And my husband also is physically tired, because his father is weak and frail. So Bill picks him up, moves him, carries him—whatever it takes to bring aid and comfort to his father.

In addition, he must deal with his mom—a hoarder, and an agoraphobic (fear of entering open or crowded spaces, or leavng home).

Studies by the National Association of Caregivers note that the health of caregivers often declines, the longer he or she serves as a caregiver.

My prayers are often, “Lord, keeping Bill’s folks alive feels like it is killing Bill!” 

God knows the sacrifice. Jeremiah 31:25 brings hope:

“For I satisfy that weary one and refresh everyone who languishes.”

The word picture here is of God sending a saturating rain to a parched land. The showers then refresh, refill, renew the languishing land.

People have been kind to:

• Take us out to dinner,
• Pay for a hotel room for a 24-hour collapse, and
• Send gift baskets, flowers, boxes of encouraging books and spiritual strengthening tools.

Just this week, one of our friends sent us a gift of a three-day anniversary in a lakeside cabin!

The good news is the care our family and friends have sacrificed to extend to us is helping protect Bill’s and my health and emotional well-being.

E — Encourage and Equip

1 Thessalonians 5:11 says, Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

This verse is a picture of walking alongside someone with encouragement, exhortation, admonishment, comfort, and consolation.

The term "build up" is a picture of constructing a home—strong and sturdy—a home where God dwells. And this is not a once-in-a-lifetime action. Rather, it is an ongoing choice to help the caregiver stand strong in their strenuous season.

Recently, a friend sent me a bracelet that reads, “Grow through what you go through.” More than a decade ago, I gave her a bracelet that looks like a zig zagged line, and with it was the promise, “I will be with you in the ups and downs of life.” We are most like Jesus, our Emmanuel, when we go WITH our friend.

In today’s world, when someone passes away, we might be tempted to only post “Praying” or a few emojis. However, the real friend will seek to do more to be “there” and extend C.A.R.E. for their friend, so he or she can stay strong in their caregiving calling.

Your care for others is the measure of your greatness (Luke 9:48 TLB).

Pray and listen to God’s Spirit, then take practical action to extend some tender loving care to someone who has been caregiving another.

Remember, C.A.R.E. means:

Check in/Check on the caregiver, Assist in practical ways, provide Resource Respite—encourage caregivers' health and well-being, and Encourage/Equip them for their difficult ministry to those they love.

Who is God asking YOU to C.A.R.E. for?

Pam Farrel is an international speaker, relationship expert, and author of 54 books including:  Discovering Joy in Philippians: A Creative Bible Study Experience and Discovering Hope in the Psalms. Download your free copy of Infectious Joy and tell others about it too—become contagious with joy! Pam and her husband Bill co-direct Love-Wise ministries. They invite you to become a member of the Living Love-Wise Community.  

Graphic adapted, courtesy of Gerd Altmann at Pixabay.

Taken to the Brink of Death

Yvonne Ortega has survived many tough circumstances in her life, and the Lord taught her powerful lessons through each trial. In this Prayer UPGRADE, she shares a personal story of desperation, and how God answered her prayers.

“After the remediation and restoration of my home, I expected to feel better," Yvonne says. "Instead, I became sicker and sicker. I couldn’t eat or sleep. I felt nauseated, dizzy, and worn out.”

When I (Dawn) read that, I thought, "Wow! What was wrong?" Does that make you curious too?

Yvonne continues . . .

For two and a half years, the mystery continued. Some strange smell overpowered me. No one seemed to smell it but me.

I needed help and couldn’t wait much longer.

So what did I do?

1. I prayed day and night.

I prayed and claimed God’s promise in the Bible:

“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5, NASB 1995).

"God, I’m not making this up! Please tell me what’s wrong with my house.

"I’m on the brink of death. I’ve lost twenty-five pounds. My clothes hang on my body. I’m doubled over in pain. I can hardly stand up, much less walk. I need your wisdom!"

2. I called my primary care physician.

When the receptionist answered, I managed—between sobs—to get the words out:  “No more virtual appointments. Somebody has to see me.” I described all of my symptoms.

It was just before Christmas. Nothing was available except for a virtual appointment on January 5, 2021, and an in-person one on January 25, 2021.

I took both.

Meanwhile, I continued to pray that God would bring me answers.

The first answer from God came through the man who came over to rake leaves before Christmas. He found two gas leaks in the gas line to the generator.

The gas company couldn’t fix the two leaks because they were on a private line. A qualified technician fixed them immediately.

When the doctor heard my story, he believed me and ordered a thorough check of my home. That check revealed that every single valve on the gas line was loose.

I was being slowly poisoned to death in my own home.

No wonder I couldn’t stand the smell of any food preparation on my gas stove.

I also had gas heat and couldn’t tolerate the smell from the vents. That odor kept me from turning on the gas fireplace. During that cold winter, I bundled up, kept the stove and heat off as much as possible, and prayed for a miracle in my home.

It should have been my refuge.

3. I thanked God.

I thanked Him for every single person He brought to encourage, support, and lead me back to health.

He used many.

• A friend sent me a link to symptoms of gas poisoning. I had all of them but one and took the information to my specialists.
• The doctor asked about a mammogram, which I had already scheduled. He referred me to the lab and radiology for several blood tests, a stomach CT scan, a bone scan, and an appointment with the gastroenterologist for a complete examination. After all the tests, the preparation for a colonoscopy and an endoscopy, and then the two procedures, I felt wiped out for a week.
• The gastroenterologist sent tissue to the lab for three biopsies. The nurse was to call me if everything was okay. The doctor would call if a serious health problem showed up.

A week later, my phone rang. It was the doctor. My legs felt like Jell-O®.

However, he said, “I’ve called with good and bad news."

I expected the effects of the gas leaks to be, at the least, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Crohn’s disease. I burst into words of gratitude and praise to God that it was neither one.

“I was looking for cancer," he said. "You didn’t have it. You had one polyp, which I removed. It was aggressive and would have turned to cancer. You’re a miracle.”

He talked to me about diet, rest, and slowing down my pace.

My church, prayer partners, and others have surrounded me with reminders of another promise in God’s word:

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness” (Jeremiah 31:3 NIV).

Without God’s wisdom and love poured into me, and those God used to help me, I would have died in my home.

I'm so glad I prayed.

What will you pray for this week?

Yvonne Ortega is a licensed professional counselor, a bilingual professional speaker, and the author of Moving from Broken to Beautiful: 9 Life Lessons to Help You Move Forward (paperback, Kindle) and Finding Hope for Your Journey through Breast Cancer (Kindle), both available here. She not only survived but thrived after a domestic violence marriage, breast cancer and the loss of her only child. With honesty and humor, Yvonne uses personal examples and truths of the Bible to help women move from broken to beautiful. Find out more about Yvonne on her writing page.

Graphic adapted, courtesy of Isabella and Zsa Fischer at Unsplash.

Superheroes of Faith

Joanie Shawhan is deep in biblical wisdom, with a wide range of interests and talents. In this Faith UPGRADE, she points to other women she admires and emulates—women in the Bible and in modern-day life, and even some "unsung heroes" of faith.Joanie says, "I’ll never outgrow my need for superheroes."

I (Dawn) agree! My description of superheroes has changed over the years. There are many I admire—including Joanie! They inspire me and give me hope.

Joanie continues . . .

Superheroes use their extraordinary abilities to make the world a better place.

But not all superheroes wear capes.

My superheroes are women of faith empowered by the Spirit of God.

I am grateful to the Lord for the godly women He has brought into my life to mentor me. One in particular prayed for me and many others, despite her poor health and constant pain.

Her faithfulness, wisdom, and godly character offered me examples of love, hope, and courage that changed my life.

In teaching me the scriptures, she introduced me to the following women of faith. I devoured their stories of faithfulness in the face of opposition and even persecution.

1. Biblical Women of Faith

• Deborah

As a prophetess and judge in Israel, she led her people into battle, defeating their enemy. (Judges 4:4-16)

• Ruth

Her devotion to her mother-in-law and her humble service is a beautiful example of selfless love. (Ruth 1:6-18; 2:2-3, 11-12; 3:11)

• Esther

Even though a queen, she recognized the significance of her position and risked her life on behalf of her people. God had raised up Esther for a specific time and purpose. (Esther 4:16; 5:1-3; 8:3-6)

• Mary

When the angel announced the birth of Jesus, Mary believed the God of the impossible. She believed even when she didn’t understand. (Luke 1:26-38)

2. Modern-day Women of Faith

• Elisabeth Elliot

After her husband was martyred by the Auca Indians in Ecuador, Elizabeth took her young daughter and lived among the tribe who murdered her husband.

Her sacrifice resulted in the salvation of this unreached people group. She mirrors God’s bigger picture of love and forgiveness.

• Dr. Helen Roseveare

While establishing hospitals in the Congo, Dr. Roseveare was subjected to many atrocities for five months under the hands of rebel terrorists.

After her rescue, she rebuilt the hospitals that had been destroyed and continued to care for the needs of the African people. She persevered in her call despite persecution.

• Gladys Aylward

When a missionary board dismissed Gladys for her lack of language skills, she refused to be deterred from her calling.

She spent her entire savings, boarded a train, and traveled through Siberia to China. She recognized God had opened a door for her to preach the gospel when the Chinese government requested her assistance to travel the countryside and discourage the footbinding tradition.

During the Japanese invasion, she led more than 100 orphans over the mountains to safety. In her yes to God, she received a mother’s heart for the children of China.

• Corrie ten Boom

Corrie and her sister Betsy endured the brutality of the Ravensbruck concentration camp as punishment for hiding Jews in Nazi Germany.

Despite the starvation and cruelty, they prayed and shared Scripture with their fellow prisoners, offering hope in the midst of darkness. 

3. Unsung Women of Faith

• Overcomers

Women who have overcome adversity and tragedy.

Whether suffering a loss or a health crisis, they continue to serve Jesus with joy.

• Prayer Warriors

Women who persevere in prayer when the battle seems never-ending and they wonder if they have enough strength to carry on.

But they hold on to the promises of God and pray.

• The Faithful

Women who are faithful to the call of God, no matter how insignificant the task may seem.

• The Courageous

Women who continue to say yes to God.

Yes to the unknown. Yes to leaving their comfort zones. Yes in the face of fear. Yes to testifying to the goodness and faithfulness of God in the midst of fiery trials.

How God has impacted my life through the lives of women I have known—and those I've never met!

Not all are missionaries or Bible characters. But these courageous women, spanning the ages, inspire me with their wisdom and offer me hope.

Many would never consider themselves courageous or heroic. But they challenge me, teach me godly character, and provide me with a roadmap when I face adversity. Through their examples, I have learned to forgive, overcome obstacles, and love difficult people.

They make my world, our world, a better place.

Many are unsung heroes of faith—the unseen, living quiet, godly lives empowered by the Holy Spirit. But their works are noted in heaven.

These are the women I honor—my superheroes. They are followers of Jesus: everyday women who have faced challenges and overcome adversity.

They are not clothed with superhero capes, but with strength, dignity, and joy.

Charm can be misleading, and beauty is vain and so quickly fades, but this virtuous woman lives in the wonder, awe, and fear of the Lord. She will be praised throughout eternity (Proverbs 31:30 TPT).

Who are the superheroes of faith in your life?

Joanie Shawhan is a Selah Awards Finalist for her book, In Her Shoes: Dancing in the Shadow of Cancer. An ovarian cancer survivor and registered nurse, she speaks to medical students in the Survivors Teaching Students program and co-founded an ovarian cancer social group: The Fried Eggs—Sunny-Side Up. When not attending her book club or writing critique group, Joanie advocates for ovarian cancer awareness and enjoys swimming, knitting, and playing autoharp. Contact Joanie at  www.joanieshawhan.com.

Graphic adapted, courtesy of Miguel Bruna at Unsplash.

How to Know if My Truth Is True

As I've developed a friendship with Julie Sanders, I've come to know her as a woman who handles the Word of God in beautiful, practical ways. In this Biblical Thinking UPGRADE, she reminds us of the importance of discerning truth in our culture, and then explains how Christ-followers are to express the truth.

"We purpose to say what’s true and teach it to our families," Julie says, "but this decade seems determined to disrupt confidence about truth. Instead, conversations center around 'speaking my truth.' How do you know if your truth is true?"

I (Dawn) am so glad Julie wrote this post. Whether we're considering false prophets or "fake news," it's sometimes difficult to know what is true. As Julie explains, our Father God has given us guidelines for knowing what is true in the culture today—or even if we are believing lies in our own hearts.

Julie continues . . .

As if underlining uncertainty about so much in 2020, this year has us continuing to wonder about so much. With technology sending out information faster than we can process it, there’s no time to confirm details.

It seems like we’ve entered a time when it’s impossible to know what’s true.  

Christians follow Jesus, “who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Following Him as Lord means being, “prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks … with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).

Followers of Christ value truth and a respectful delivery of it.

Here are five questions to ask to know if what we accept and what we share is actually true.

1. What Does Man Say Is Truth?

Before the new decade arrived, Oprah Winfrey popularized the phrase “speaking my truth” in her 2018 Golden Globe Awards speech.

• It’s become a mantra to validate sharing truth and untruth.
• It’s been pointed for permission to speak opinions, judgments, and emotions under an umbrella of “truth,” accurate or not.
• It’s also liberally used as license to spew truth in whatever way speakers choose, regardless of offense.

We live in a day when people speak whatever they want in whatever way they want.

Does the popular idea of “my truth” mean I get to choose what’s true? Is it possible to know what’s true?

And does making it “my truth” lift limitations on a caustic delivery?

2. What Is God's Measure of Truth?

All of God’s word is true (Psalm 119:160; John 17:17)—a reference point for comparing what is presented to us as real.

A follower of the true God can pray, “Guide me in your truth and teach me” (Psalm 25:5a). His Word illuminates sometimes murky paths of life on earth.

If we keep God’s Word in front of us and lay it over our questions to see it clearly, God's truth will emerge.

Since garden days, when Satan spoke the first lie, untruths have needed exposure.

Now as then, ignoring God’s words opens the door to deception and the destruction that comes with it.  His holy Word provides the measure, distinguishing a truth from a lie.

The only one who can rightly claim “My truth” is the Maker of truth.

3. How Does Truth Turn into Untruth?

Truth becomes untruth when we push aside God’s truth for a twisted version of our own making.

Creating and communicating untruth is like rejecting God’s righteous truthfulness out of a preference for what better serves our agenda. By plagiarizing the righteous reality, a peddler of a self-made stories takes a path leading to a disappointing destination.

Untruth never serves God’s holy purposes. Instead, untruth serves our unholy agendas. If it’s still true, it still belongs to God, and it’s still truth.

4. How Can I Be Sure I’m Telling the Truth?

With fake stories and false accounts filling our news feeds, it’s easy to focus on dissecting the stream before us. After all, the Serpent told Eve, “You will certainly not die” (Genesis 3:4)—though he knew her acceptance of this version of “my truth” would lead to her death.

Satan never held to truth telling, “for there is no truth in him … he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).

While we need to discern truth from lies, our focus is on ensuring we speak the truth. We’re warned not to “let any unwholesome talk come out of” our mouths (Ephesians 4:29), and not to “lie to each other,” because that’s a practice of our old self (Colossians 3:9).

Since God sees everything (Proverbs 15:3)—none of our actions or words are hidden from Him (Jeremiah 16:17).

To be sure you’re telling the truth, ask yourself two questions.

• Did God see what I say I saw?
• Did God hear what I say I heard?

5. What Does God Want Me to Do with My Truth?

If our message aligns with God’s Word, it needs to be communicated God’s way.

Ephesians 4:15 directs us to speak “the truth in love.”

Delivering a wholly truthful message in a wholly loving way means we need to be empowered by a wholly loving Savior.

His forgiveness cleanses us and His Spirit grows us, so loving delivery reflects maturity as we become more like Jesus. Loving Him and His truth means, “we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:10-12), because “God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”

Once MY truth transforms into HIS truth, God wants me to speak it in HIS loving way.

The world loves to stamp “legit” on a version of truth. That way, every man can do what’s right in his own eyes, spinning it into tales of triumph (Proverbs 12:15; Judges 17:6). Changing the narrative avoids changing hearts.

When we embrace God’s truth as the only truth, it will set us free (John 8:32).

How am I letting God’s word shed light on messages I receive and shape messages I create? What am I accepting as truth that may not align with God’s truth?

Julie Sanders loves lifting women who lead globally. She’s the author of The ABCs of Praying for Students and Expectant, a devotional for new moms. Julie finds joy in helping women discover and develop their gifts to influence others. She writes from her online home at juliesanders.org.

Graphic adapted, vector courtesy of Pixabay.

Give Me My Delight

Susan K. Stewart is an analytical woman, so it doesn't surprise me she took time to think through why she felt so aimless. In this Relationship with God UPGRADE, she shares how she learned to delight in the Lord, and how that helped her learn to walk closer to His will.

"I’ve been wandering aimlessly recently. So many good projects, so many good causes, so many good books." Susan says. "While wandering I’ve been unsettled—feeling as though no matter the way I decide to go, I only get to a roadblock."

I (Dawn) think all Christ-followers feel a little aimless and unsettled sometimes. In my experience, I've usually tried to fill those times with busyness, but I never felt satisfied. As Susan explains, there's something far deeper I needed, and perhaps you do too.

Susan continues . . .

Often, I find myself just sitting in the path crying, "God, what is it You want me to do?"

Too often, my cry is, "Lord, You promised to give me the desires of my heart."

But, is that really what He promises?

Most of us are familiar with this "promise" in Psalm 37:4–5:

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.

Oh, so many times I'm guilty of telling God what I want—the plans I have—and then waiting for Him to fulfill those plans.

Once He's done his part, I'll do my part: delight in Him.

• When I look back at my journal, I find I ask God to be the center of what I do.
• I see now why I wander aimlessly. I need to be at the center of what he is doing.

That does sound very spiritual and heaven-minded, but how does being at the center of what God's desires look every day? I’m not sure it means quietly meditating all day long or spending most of the day reading scripture.

If that is what God is leading you to do, go for it.

Those activities don't work well for my soul or, quite frankly, my pocketbook.

About two weeks into my search for God’s desire—for the way for me to delight myself in Him—I began to read once again St. Augustine’s Confessions.

Right there in the first book, first writing, was the answer.

"The thought of you [God] stirs him [humans] so deeply that he cannot be content unless he praises you, because you made us for yourself and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you."

This section is accompanied with Ps. 22:26:

“The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord! May your hearts live forever!” (emphasis added)

WHOA.

What does that say again? "Those who seek him will praise the Lord!"

If I’m to know God’s plans for me, the desires He puts in my heart, I must praise him.

I will find God in my praise.

According to Noah Webster in his 1828 Dictionary of American English, delight is "a high degree of pleasure, or satisfaction of mind; joy." He adds, "'Delight is a more permanent pleasure than joy, and not dependent on sudden excitement.' When we are told to delight ourselves in the Lord, it means, 'to have or take great pleasure; to be greatly pleased or rejoiced.'"

For some, this kind of delight does come with hours of long meditation or reading the Bible, or even retreating away from the everyday world.

I've learned delight is found in praising God, my Lord.

When I do that, I’m at the center of what He made me to do—worship Him. This delighting can take place anytime, anyplace.

I can tell you my path became clearer as to what project to go forward with, what to drop.

I can also tell you I have managed to leave the trail God so carefully marks for me.

How? I forgot to praise Him.

How easy it is.

I ended up where He didn’t want me to be. (I know, God. That's what You told me in the first place, right?)

Getting the reward of our desires is possible with a few steps. These aren’t always easy, but we can repeat them as often as needed.

1. Seek God.

We are told to "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" (Matthew 6:33).

We can’t receive from the Lord until we find Him, until we are where He is.

2. Love God.

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37).

Once we’ve found God, we fall in love with him. Our natural tendency is to want to please those we love.

3. Commit to God.

"Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act" (Psalm 37:5).

For me this is pivotal.

When I trust God, and let him map the route, I don't have to wonder, "What next?"

4. Delight in God.

As stated in Psalm 37:4, above, delighting in the Lord is key to the fulfillment of desires.

5. Receive from God.

Too often we think the second half of the same verse means when we praise God enough, He’ll give us what we want.

I believe we're being told God will place a desire in our hearts to follow His lead, His plan.

Now that I'm seeking Him once again in my praise, the path is opening up.

I'm finding God's desires right where He left them for me—in praise.

Do you feel as though you’re wandering aimlessly? What do you need to do find God’s desires? How will you delight in the Lord?

Susan K. Stewart is Managing Editor/Nonfiction with Elk Lake Publishing where she teaches, writes, and edits non-fiction. Susan’s passion is to inspire readers with practical, real-world solutions. Her books include Science in the Kitchen, Preschool: At What Cost?, Harried Homeschoolers Handbook, and the award-winning Formatting e-Books for Writers. Her latest book, Donkey Devos: Listening When God Speaks, is scheduled to be released spring 2021. You can learn more at her website.  

Graphic adapted, courtesy of Barbara Jackson at Pixabay.