When growing up, we all had experiences when we did something and one of our parents looked at us and simply said, “That’s not good enough.” We often walked away frustrated mumbling to ourselves about how unrealistic an expectation they had. Of course, we always did more, and eventually, they were satisfied. How often do we hear that in our head today? Not those situations where we only have time to do so much, but when we do something and deep down know it was not enough? Here’s a story about when we are not doing enough and what to do about it …

Have you ever thought you had a clear understanding of something years ago only to have an entirely different view when you looked at it again? I once had a friend tell me the phrase ‘dually noted’ was correct until an English major corrected me to say, ‘duly noted.’ As we get older, life gets more complex not because we do not understand things. It’s because we do that challenges the way we used to think. That’s what growing is, and today’s devotion is about just that … growing …

Are there situations that always have you frustrated and upset? As a parent, it happens to me frequently. However, there is a balance I have found that keeps me calm even under the most trying of circumstances. This does not mean that I never get upset. It does mean there is something that kicks in when my buttons are pushed to help center my emotions. Today is about building that ‘something’ to keep anger from ruining things …

As a child, I was often reminded of how my behavior was not just reflective of me. It would frustrate me noting how can my actions have some bearing on her. I did it. Not her. But as I got older, I began to understand what bearing my actions had because as a parent, you know what you teach your child and the expectations you set. Today’s devotion is about how our actions and words have bearing on who Christ is in the world and even more importantly who we are …

We all have bad days. Some are worse than others and sometimes, bad days become bad weeks. You can seemingly find no good in it. However, we should always remember that the night is always darkest before dawn. Today’s devotion should remind us that there is always a dawn coming …

When we were children, we were often inquisitive about things. Why is the sky blue? Where do babies come from? When can I drive? Those are some of the common things we might ask. My father was a different kind of Dad. He almost never gave me an answer. He would simply say, “You figure it out.” It was frustrating back then. But oh, what a difference maturity makes. There are lots of things that we end up having to figure out. Today’s devotion is about one of those times, and shows how Jesus too has those father-like instincts when teaching us …

We will see things happening around us and that are often enough to bring us to tears. A sudden death of a child, a couple going through a divorce, and harmful words said that are hurtful all can create a feeling of sadness that literally break our hearts. The truth is that as Christ followers, this is not as they say a problem. It is a feature. Today’s devotion explains why …

This week, we will get together with a few good friends or not just to hang out or maybe watch a game like the Super Bowl. It is always a fun time because we get to reminisce with old friends and maybe meet new ones. Whether you are hanging with people or going it alone, there is more relationship building that we all can work on. Why? Look at the example in today’s Devotion …

We love having days where we can just sit back and relax. Nothing that we need to do or responsibilities to take care of. It seems like all is right in the world. Maybe too right. Have you ever had that feeling that maybe something is wrong in that moment? Not that there is cause worry, but sometimes being comfortable might be a sign that something needs to change. That’s what today’s devotion is about. When comfort may not be where we want to be …

Do you seek freedom from something? Perhaps it might be debt or pain. In some cases, it might be responsibilities or agreements that we must follow through on. Sometimes, we feel indebted to everyone. Well, there is freedom to be found, and this freedom was already paid for. Read on if you want to learn more ….