Years ago, I was shocked when I found a paper written by our 7-year-old son. He had scrawled: Mom and Dad are you really a Christian?
Umm, of course we are.
But he hadn’t seen the evidence in our lives. I had been fighting the sin of yelling at my children. I guess he hadn’t felt comfortable enough to ask us verbally, so wrote it for us to find.
At that point I felt very discouraged. Am I ever going to get out of this trap of anger?
The Lord did eventually set me free from giving way to anger and yelling. It took cooperating with the Holy Spirit, repenting to God and my children for the evil I was committing, and renewing my mind with the Bible. They forgave me and I was enabled to forgive myself.
Our verse today reminds us that we are precious to God and to receive his peace, encouragement and strength. As we read God’s words aloud, like Daniel, we also will get stronger. When you feel you can’t handle another day, lean on Christ’s strength. He will give you courage and all you need to walk out this day together with him.
Dear Lord, forgive me for sometimes being afraid or angry and not depending on your strength. Help me to lean on you, not on myself.
Throughout this day: Set reminders on your phone to check in with God every 30 minutes if possible. Write today’s verse on a card and read it aloud at every check in.
Photo Credit: Seyed Arshia Nezamodiny