March 22, 2026 carriedinthecrossLeave a comment

Psalms 33:18 NIV
[18] But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
God cares for His people.
Read that again.
We hear and repeat those words so often that we forget the meaning. God Himself, care for you.
He watches us and keeps us safe. Even in times of trouble and terror God has us in His hands. Our hope is in the fact that God loves us and will take care of our needs. In truth, and this is hard, God does not always care for our wants. Sometimes He gives us what we want as a gift of love from a Father to a child, but we often we lose faith in Him on the times when He does not give us our wants and we forget the times when He has provided our needs.
I was reminded recently that we can build an alter to God even in the valley. That was really encouraging because I have felt like I am in the valley for a few days now. It’s a “why God?” Instead of a, “but God!” Moment. Then a friend said how she was marking down her blessings because she had seen how much she has, this was after spending two days in emergency not able to get in. But she lives like that. No eyes on the dark clouds, only on the ways to dance in the rain. God has permitted her to go through so much and yet every morning she takes special time to praise Him. I lack so much compared to her. To feel blessed in the middle of your stress may sound like a bumper sticker but it’s a good way to live. God has got you! He has a plan! You may never know why you spent this time in the valley, but God has a reason.

Take away:

Just because you are down does not mean that God has left you. Look around, you will see Him there reaching out His hand. Sometimes God speaks in the sunshine on a day that was supposed to rain. Sometimes He speaks through the laughter, in a time that should have brought pain. Sometimes He speaks in the “caught it just in time,” when you would rather it had not happened at all.
Sometimes the blessings are wrapped like a sugar coating on a pill. Something sweet to take a sting out of the bitter. But God will remind you He is there, you just have to look around.

Blog · Christianity · Devotional · encouragement · free · Jesus

Mean girls and bad boys

September 6, 2020 carriedinthecrossLeave a comment

Late for class, last bell rings, dead run for her locker. She throws her bag into the steel trap and dashes past the others who are still in the hall. “Loser.” “Trash.” ‘Whatever.’ She just needs to get to her seat. She slides behind her desk. Peanut butter on the chair. ‘Nice.’ The girls behind her laugh. She sighs. Class ends and she’s on her way back to her locker. An elbow hits her in the side, then two hands shove her against a door. She’s had enough! She shoves back. The other girl lands on the floor. Teacher sees. “You! Stay after school!” Parents are called in, she has detention and a new nick name, Mean Girl.

The boys gather around the new kid. He’s shy and stares at his shoes. “You have to be cool if you are going to hang with us.” He’s heard those words before, that’s why he transferred. He shakes his head and is shoved against the wall, “Don’t be such a wimp!” He chokes a groan back and nods. The other boys look triumphant. What makes them look cool at this new school? The old school it was alcohol, the one before that was drugs, this one? The next thing he knows his locker is full of pirated video games, and he is very cool in the eyes of his new ‘friends.’ Until they get caught. Short term in Juvenile Correction facilities and he’s back in class. One of his old ‘friends’ leans over to another kid and whispers, “stay away from him, he’s bad news.”

Life can be drastically unfair. Don’t judge a person by the unfair labels that have been stamped on them by the hypocrites around you; See for yourself what they are like. Jesus has called and still calls all kinds of people, not just those who don’t get caught doing wrong, and thankfully He sees everything and knows who’s truly at fault. If you have ever been wrongly labeled and judged, know that Jesus sees the truth and He will take up positions to defend you.

Blog · Christianity · Devotional · encouragement · free · Jesus · searching

Tone deaf

March 11, 2020 carriedinthecrossLeave a comment

Tone

When you are a musician you can usually hear tone pretty well. Tone, not to be confused with tune, can change a song drastically. If the tone is wrong then everything sounds wrong. It’s like that when we are talking with people. If our tone is unpleasant then it may seem like we are saying something other than what we mean. If your tone sounds irritated then people will automatically think you are annoyed. If your tone sounds happy then people think you are happy.
It’s like speaking with an animal. If I say in a high tone, “let’s go to the groomer’s today buddy!” My dog gets very excited, even though he hates being groomed, he loves the car ride though.
It’s easy to forget your tone when speaking. I do a lot of physical activity so pain is not an uncommon thing, unfortunately. When in pain I have been criticized for having an angry or irritated tone. It’s just the way I sound when I am pushing through a day of pain. Making myself sound happy takes too much effort and wears me out when I am injured. I realize that my tone bothers people though. Tone can change a whole conversation. So when speaking, try to tune your ear to your tone.