Focus

Slow your breathing and become aware of the taking in and letting out of your breath. Focus on putting things aside so you will be open to what God is saying to you today.

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Read

Psalm 69:7-10, 16-18

It is for your sake that I have borne reproach,
that shame has covered my face.
I have become a stranger to my kindred,
an alien to my mother’s children.

It is zeal for your house that has consumed me;
the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
When I humbled my soul with fasting,
they insulted me for doing so.
…
Answer me, O LORD, for your steadfast love is good;
according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.
Do not hide your face from your servant,
for I am in distress—make haste to answer me.
Draw near to me, redeem me,
set me free because of my enemies.

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Reflect

There are times when no matter what we do, things don’t go the way we plan. In fact, we fail. One of my favorite movies is called Life. It follows the love/hate relationship of two criminals, Ray (Eddie Murphy) and Claude (Martin Lawrence), who are both serving life sentences in prison. Another character in the movie is called “Can’t Get Right.” The interesting thing is that “Can’t Get Right” actually finds a way out of prison through baseball while Ray and Claude fail numerous times in their efforts to escape.

Our lives are surrounded by people whom we view as not being able to get right, yet they succeed. We, on the other hand, do everything right and can’t ever seem to get ahead. At some point we have to focus less on what we don’t have and set our eyes on what we do have. We may not be where we want to be in our career or relationships. We may not have all that we desire to have in this life. But we do have one another. Instead of spending our time worrying about what others have and we don’t, may we see the precious lives around us and strive to help them in this life.

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Pray

You, O Lord, have given us all this one and precious life. We pray that we take every advantage it offers us. In our failures and disappointments, remind us that you are behind us, beside us, and in front of us—making your way possible. Amen.

Go with God.