As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed— or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”  Luke 10:38-42
 
 
As I shopped recently at a local department store for some early Christmas gifts, I entered the check-out line to pay. Normally, I would have felt impatient to stand in the line, but that day, I felt strangely at peace. I was in the moment, not wishing I were done and back in the car, not mentally going over my to-do list of all the things I could be doing but were not. The supernatural peace ruling in my heart must have reflected on my face. When I finally made it to the check-out counter, the clerk remarked at how calm I was. Used to seeing frazzled shoppers, I’m sure she viewed me as an anomaly. I was, even to me.
 
Today’s key verses contain a familiar story of two sisters who host Jesus in their home. Martha is stirring around in the kitchen, resenting the lack of help from her sister. Mary is quietly sitting at Jesus’ feet, absorbing all He is teaching. When Martha charges into the room and abruptly demands Jesus to ask her sister to help, she assumes Jesus will be on her side. Instead, Jesus chastises Martha for not taking time out to learn from Him, to grow her own spiritual life, and to set the appropriate priorities. All the while, Mary sits at Jesus’ feet, listening to truths taught. By sitting at His feet, Mary demonstrates she is submitting to His guidance. Her faith and love of her Lord, Jesus says, cannot be taken away from her (see also Romans 8:38-39 which says nothing can separate us from God’s love).
 
In this busy season of the year, there are many tasks at hand, from shopping to wrapping, from cooking to entertaining. While none of these things are wrong in and of themselves, the frantic and frenzied pace robs us of peace. At the end of the day, we’re physically exhausted as we mentally beat ourselves up for what we didn’t get accomplished that day. We are more focused on remaining tasks than relationships.
 
Psalm 143:8 is a key verse for me, one that I read every morning as I spend time with God. It says, “Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.” As I read God’s Word, the Bible, His love for me becomes real. When I put my trust in Him and choose to follow Him, He shows me not only my path for life’s journey, but He also reveals what my priorities are for today. I can trust Him with the way I should go today and with my whole life.
 
Pondering the story of Martha and Mary, I know I tend to be a “Martha”. I’m naturally task-oriented. I’m usually too busy “doing” and not spending time “being”. On the day God used a store clerk to get my attention, I realized that spending time with Jesus allowed His peace to reign in my heart, so much so, that a stranger noticed. While I missed the opportunity to tell her about the source of my peace (an obvious opportunity, in hindsight), the opportunity to connect the dots wasn’t entirely lost. It was a growth opportunity for me, to better understand and apply the connection between Martha and Mary. When the “Mary” in me sits at Jesus’ feet each morning, the “Martha” in me is able to be the hands of Jesus to better accomplish what is truly important throughout my day. When I spend time with Jesus, I’m empowered to take His peace and love with me, reflecting a deeper calm while demonstrating His love to those I encounter along the way.
 
 
Lord, thank You for the lessons learned from two sisters who both loved You. May I learn from them and put into practice that balance between faith and works, of being and doing. Create in me a desire to spend more time with You to discern my priorities so that the peace from knowing You reflects in all I do throughout my day. Amen.
 
 
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Text and photograph copyright © 2017 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of woodland path near Gatehouse of Fleet, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.
 
  
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.  Psalm 126:3
 
 
Today an anxious thought threatens to circle around and around in my mind, looking for a place to land. This flight of worry wasn’t even on my radar screen last week. Yet here it is, trying to control my mind and heart.
 
Worry either locks us into the past as we replay regret over and over again or it catapults us into the future to dwell on events yet to come. Either way, worry steals precious moments from the present. We’re too caught up in thoughts of the past or the future to fully live in the moment.
 
The anecdote to worry and anxiety is gratitude. When we take our horizontal focus off our worries of yesterday and tomorrow, we’re free to vertically focus on God in the here and now. When we abide with Jesus (see John 15), thoughts of gratitude chase thoughts of worry from our mind.
 
As Thanksgiving Day approaches here in the US, we often express what we’re thankful for. Thanksgiving isn’t just for one day. It’s an attitude for every day. When anxiety threatens to overtake us, if we turn our thoughts to what God has done for us and how grateful we are, we can experience reprieve from worry. When we literally count our blessings and park our mind on the positives, we can live in the present moment, free from the past and the future. Even when we are in a difficult season, we can still see God’s fingerprints in the details, little reminders that He is present with us.
 
Gratitude not only helps us refocus from negative thoughts to positive ones, it also replaces worry with joy. To live a joyous life is to live out of a grateful heart. When we look at what we have instead of what we have not, we can experience gratefulness. And in that gratitude, as the Psalmist says in Psalm 126:3, when we realize the great things God has done for us already, we are filled with joy. Gratitude and joy go hand-in-hand and send worry and anxiety packing. Gratitude crushes worry and creates joy.
 
Research has even shown that people who have an attitude of gratitude live longer, are happier and healthier, both physically and psychologically, and even experience less depression. They have better self-esteem and also have more compassion for others. They sleep better, too, when they are grateful. Gratitude multiplies itself into all nooks and crannies of our mind, body, and spirit when we practice it daily.
 
Sometimes writing down that for which we are grateful helps us focus on God’s faithfulness and His good gifts to us. Later we can look back on what we wrote and experience continued gratefulness. We can trust that the God who was faithful then is faithful now.
 
Even though the worrisome situation hasn’t yet been resolved, I am confident of this: God is bigger than this situation and He has already worked wonders. I can count, not only my blessings, but on God’s faithfulness to continue to do great things. With a grateful heart, I am filled with joy as I abide in Him. I can live in the present without being held hostage to the past or the future. I can say wholeheartedly that this is the day God has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24).
 
 
Heavenly Father, as I focus my mind on You and not on worries, I thank You for what I have already, for what You have already done for me. Thank You for the joy that comes from abiding in You with a grateful heart. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
 
 
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Text and photograph copyright © 2017 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of Vettica Maggiore on the Amalfi Coast, Italy.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.  Psalm 20:7
 
 
He was lying face down where he had fallen. His last act was to cover his face in an effort to breathe before the noxious fumes and excessive heat overtook him. He looked no more than a boy. From his clothes, he appeared to have been a slave. Was he forced to stay behind? Was he running for his life or was he overtaken before he had a chance to flee?
 
Mount Vesuvius is an imposing volcano, towering over the nearby towns on the Amalfi Coast of Italy. On a recent trip, I had the opportunity to visit Mount Vesuvius and tour the excavated ruins of Pompeii. I learned that the population at the time Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79AD was about 20,000 people. It’s estimated that 1,000-2,000 died that fateful day. While I was glad most inhabitants escaped to safety, I felt sad that so many still perished, like the slave boy depicted in the plaster cast I viewed.
 
Modern-day Pompei (spelled differently) sits in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius. Although there has not been an eruption since 1944, scientists predict that someday Mount Vesuvius will explode and once again cover everything within its reach with volcanic ash and pumice while spewing poisonous gas. The air will become so hot that it will kill a person before they asphyxiate.
 
Almost three million people live within twenty miles of this active volcano. According to one local, people who live there are afraid of a potential eruption. They trust in the patron saint Gennaro to keep them safe. They also trust in scientific predictions to warn them with enough lead time to leave.
 
As I pondered what it was like to live in ancient Pompeii and what it is like to live in modern-day Pompei in the proximity of one of the most dangerous volcanoes, the question “whom do I trust when I’m afraid?” filled my mind. In whom or what do you entrust your cares and concerns?
 
The key verse today says while some trust in material possessions, we, as believers, trust in the name of the Lord our God. Sometimes it is all too easy to trust in ourselves, to believe we can control the outcome. Perhaps we trust in our assets, our position, our power, or in people significant to us. The problem with trusting in anything other than God is that everything else can change overnight. Stock markets tumble, jobs are eliminated, relationships crumble. But God never changes.
 
We can trust God in His sovereignty to be in control, especially when circumstances explode all around us. Jesus said in John 14:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” We can trust Jesus, the One who died on a cross for us to know God, to deliver us and give us peace, despite the situation. When we look vertically up to God, our line-of-sight is no longer horizontal across our current state of affairs. We can live in peace, not fear. Worry doesn’t control us. Whether we live in the shadow of an active volcano, in the path of wildfires, or on an earthquake fault line, we can experience peace and know that God alone is in control and totally trustworthy. Out-of-control circumstances cannot control us when we place our trust in the One who is Lord of all. Thanks be to God!
 
 
Sovereign God, I thank You that You are in control. I trust in You when life’s circumstances spin out of control. You are my God in whom I trust. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
 
 
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Text and photograph copyright © 2017 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of Mount Vesuvius as seen from Sorrento, Italy.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™