For it was you who created my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made. Your works are wondrous, and I know this very well. [Psalm 139:13-14 (CSB)]
Today’s socks tell me, “I am perfectly made” and remind me of Psalm 139’s affirmation that, “I have been remarkably and wondrously made.” All of my low-cut athletic socks have pithy affirmations woven into the toes. Depending on what pair I choose, I’m reminded that I have hope or that I’m loved, brave, strong, grateful, kind, powerful, blessed, or thankful. My favorite pair, however, tell me, “I am with you always!” It may seem silly, but there are times, especially during difficult days, when I recall the day’s affirmation on my feet and I stand a little more assuredly.
What we say to others matters, but what we say to ourselves matters even more! The way we speak to ourselves determines how we relate to everything and everyone else! Affirmations replace the negative talk we hear from others as well as the trash talk we say to ourselves! Shifting our minds toward the positive can change the direction we’re taking and lead us to a better destination!
I thought of my socks during church last week when the soloist sang Megan Woods’ lovely song, “The Truth.” The song opened with the sad words, “How many times can you hear the same lie before you start to believe it? The enemy keeps whisperin’ to me… Lord, I don’t wanna listen to the lies anymore.” The negative words we hear our heads are gifts from the enemy—Satan, the Father of lies. He might say that we’re not pretty enough, capable enough, or good enough. He’ll whisper that we’re too young, too old, too fat, too skinny, too tall, or too short. His words tell us we can’t when we can and we shouldn’t when we should. When we pray, he murmurs that God’s not there. Telling us we’re worthless sinners, he claims our past defines us, we don’t deserve happiness, and that we’re unworthy, unlovable, and unforgiveable! The enemy with his lies is camping out rent-free in our heads and his scorn, disparagement, and belittling can make quite a ruckus in there.
Our best defense against the enemy’s lies is keeping God’s truth in our hearts! While my affirmation socks can be found on Amazon, the God’s truth is found in the pages of our Bibles! It is filled with affirmations of who we are in Christ. Instead of socks telling us we are loved or have hope, we have Jeremiah 31:3 telling us that God loves us with an everlasting love and Psalm 62:5 telling us our hope comes from God! While my socks may say I’m strong, Romans 8:37 tells us we’re more than conquerors through Christ! When the enemy tries to take up residence in our minds, let’s remember that Scripture tells us we can stand against his schemes because we’re clothed in the armor of God (Eph 6:11). Our socks don’t need to say, “I am with you always,” because God promised He will never leave nor abandon us (Deut 31:6). God’s word reassures us that we have the peace of God guarding our hearts and minds. (Phil 4:7)
The Bible tells us truth—we are God’s beloved children! He lived and died for us! Never forget that we are God’s workmanship and God doesn’t make junk! Indeed, we are “remarkably and wondrously made.”
The truth is I am my Father’s child
I make Him proud and I make Him smile
I was made in the image of a perfect King
He looks at me and wouldn’t change a thing
The truth is I am truly loved
By a God who’s good when I’m not good enough
I don’t belong to the lies, I belong to You
And that’s the truth!
[Jeff Pardo/Matthew West/Megan Woods]
Monday’s devotion (“No Words of Comfort”) originally was published back in 2018. It came to mind because my son-in-law recently died. His death was sudden and unexpected and, when my daughter told me, I was sure I’d misunderstood her words. Not Mike! Still a young man in the prime of his life; it couldn’t be, but it was! Just as we all know we’re going to die someday, we know the people we love will die. It’s just that we expect those deaths to be on our timeline. But they’re not—they’re on God’s. The only guarantee that comes with life on earth is that it will end!
Several years ago, two friends joined the ranks of widowhood within a week of one another. Because her husband surrendered to cancer several months earlier by stopping all treatment, one woman was not surprised when she joined the club. The other woman, however, went to bed a wife and awoke the next morning to find herself a widow. Despite his looking the picture of health, her husband, having suffered a fatal stroke while she slept, lay dead on the kitchen floor.
After feeding a multitude with little more than a handful of food, Jesus sent the disciples across the Sea of Galilee to Bethsaida. He stayed behind to send the people home and then, exhausted, went into the mountains to pray. During the fourth watch (somewhere between 3:00 and 6:00 AM), Jesus looked out at the water and saw that the disciples were struggling against the wind and waves to keep the boat on course. Seeing their distress, he walked on the water toward them. Seeing Him walking on water, they thought Him a ghost and cried out in terror. Phantoms of the night were said to bring disaster and it was thought that the last thing a boatman saw before drowning in Galilee was a ghost on the water! It’s no wonder they were frightened at first.
We enjoy walking in the local Botanical Garden as well as the nearby Corkscrew Swamp. Although both offer plenty of photo ops and pleasant strolls in God’s creation, the Garden offers more color and variety than a swamp any day. Nevertheless, as much as I enjoy the Garden’s beauty and serenity, I feel more at home in the swamp.
What would you do if you were six and your father said that your mom is in the hospital because she finds it hard to be happy and “did something stupid”? That question is answered in Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe’s one-act play, Every Brilliant Thing. In their play, that boy, now a grown man, tells the audience that he made of list of everything that was “brilliant” about the world—everything worth living for—and left it on his mother’s pillow. Reflecting a six-year old’s priorities, the list included ice cream, Kung-Fu movies, laughing so hard you shoot milk out your nose, burning things, construction cranes, and “me.” Although she returns the list with its spelling corrected, the boy’s mother never comments on it. Nevertheless, he keeps adding to his list. Although his mother eventually takes her life, the narrator tells how his list took on a life of its own and eventually saved him from his own depression and suicidal thoughts.
Devotions of the Heart 