If we are honest with ourselves, our need for love and esteem is one of our strongest motivators. Satan tempts us to meet our legitimate need for love in illegitimate ways, so we seek to earn it through perfectionism or being good enough. Our longing for love to be reciprocated can lurk below the surface of seemingly selfless acts of service. We can seek love through our accomplishments, productivity, by being unique, knowledgable or strong. 

As I’ve been grappling with this idea of dying to self, my heart and mind have been deeply disturbed by the way I’ve been chained to this illusion of safety out of fear of discomfort or pain. This facade of “safety” has been a guise that inhibits me from faithful obedience. If I’m honest with myself, who, in spite of all of their comforts can sidestep the physical challenges that come with aging? Who can avoid the hard work required by relationships? By life? Jesus alone holds the answer and is the pathway to healing,  but still, I can treat Him as some kind of half-hearted side hobby. 

As we journey with Jesus into the desert we encounter the first temptation - our need for security.

We begin our Lenten devotional by remembering what we truly are - dust. Genesis 3 reminds us that our brief time on this planet starts and ends with dust. We are earthen vessels - unadorned clay pots… and yet, we are so much more.

Lent is the 40 days from Ash Wednesday to the Saturday before Easter (not including Sundays) mirroring the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness before beginning His public ministry. It serves as a time of preparation and an opportunity for us to deepen in our faith by reflecting on the temptation, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

On the dashboard of your life there are three gauges that are important to keep an eye on to ensure you’re running well: your physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Neglecting any of these three areas can leave us stranded on the side of the road wondering what happened 

Consider the spiritual gauge: How would you gauge your current spiritual health? 

On the dashboard of your life there are three gauges that are important to keep an eye on to ensure you’re running well: your physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Neglecting any of these three areas can leave us stranded on the side of the road wondering what happened. 

Consider the emotional gauge: How would you evaluate your current emotional health? 

Have you ever been driving down the road when the gas light comes on and catches you off guard? In the busyness of life, it is so easy to overlook some of the crucial details that can make the difference between making it to your destination or finding yourself on the side of the road. 

The same is true when it comes to self-care. On the dashboard of your life there are three gauges that are important to keep an eye on to ensure you’re running well: your physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Neglecting any of these three areas can leave us stranded on the side of the road wondering what happened. 

Consider the physical gauge: How would you evaluate your current physical health?

As pastors, leaders, and parents we can get so wrapped up in creating experiences for others that we miss out on experiencing the gift of this advent season for ourselves. How do we move from just being a conduit to one who also receives? There’s an invitation here for us all… may I receive what’s given to me before rushing to pass it along to someone else.

What’s the first thought that comes to God’s mind when He thinks about you? For many, we think He’s disappointed… and that couldn’t be further from the truth. He’s crazy about you!

Life has the propensity to slowly erode the shoreline of joy in our lives. The more we live life, the more we experience the challenges and pain that accompany living in a world marred by sin and brokenness. So how do we recover our joy? Psalm 30 serves as a powerful beacon of hope as it demonstrates that Joy is a gift that God offers us.

Have you ever closed your eyes at night and found yourself overwhelmed by fear and anxiety? How do we find a peace that isn’t contingent on external circumstances? In Jesus, we are offered this peace.

How do we find hope in the midst of uncertainty? The good news of this Advent Season is that God is not somewhere "far off". The birth of Jesus demonstrates that God is with us in the messiness of life.

There is a season for everything. As we navigate this fall season, where might the Lord be inviting you to “let go”?

The bridge between our weariness and prevailing is a relationship with our creator.