I Choose Today...

I Choose Today to Lean on Jesus in My Pain

Molinda Hern November 2, 2024

As a mom, I never want to see my daughter hurting. Over the years, whenever she would be hurting, I would cry out to God. Most of the time I would offer to take her place in her pain. I wanted to take her pain so she didn’t have to experience it. I love her that much. You know, there is someone else who loves her even more than I do. In fact, not only does He love her, but He loves all of us enough to want to stop our hurting. His name is Jesus. Jesus did just what I described above. He took on our hurt, our pain, even our mistakes and rebellion, and He died for us. Isaiah tells us, “But [in fact] [Jesus] has borne our griefs, And He has carried our sorrows and pains… and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole.” (Isaiah 53:4a & 5b) Maybe you have cried out to Jesus to take away your hurt, your pain, and yet, you still feel it. Maybe you are experiencing the same problems and circumstances that cause you pain. But even if He doesn’t change your circumstances (yet), He can

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I Choose Today to Exercise What Matters

Molinda Hern October 31, 2024

Have you ever had a situation where you know the thing you should do but don’t do it? You even have all you need to do this thing, but the tools sit unused? For example, I know I need to build my strength by working out my muscles. My dietician and my daughter have told me for a while now that I need to incorporate strength training into my workout routine. I have everything I need – weights, resistance bands, and the time – but for some reason I don’t make or take the time to actually incorporate strength training into my routine. I know it is what is best for me. It will make my quality of life better for the long run, but yet I am not utilizing these tools and knowledge in a way that will make a difference. We all have areas where we know what we should do, but following through is a struggle. Whether it’s exercise, prayer, or forgiveness, the tension between intention and action is real. Even Paul wrestled with this. He said in Romans 7:15, “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do

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I Choose Today Let God’s Word Fortify My Soul

Molinda Hern October 29, 2024

I love words—maybe that’s one reason I love God’s Word so much! David captures this same love for God’s Word, expressing awe and wonder through his writing. In Psalm 119:175 (MSG), David ends his heartfelt prayer with these powerful words: “Invigorate my soul so I can praise You well; use Your decrees to put iron in my soul.” I love the way this translation puts it: “Invigorate my soul.” To invigorate means to strengthen and give energy. Think about a time you’ve felt invigorated—maybe after spending time at the beach, hearing an inspiring sermon, or listening to a meaningful song. In those moments, you’re energized, ready to take on the world, to fight the good fight, and to step into whatever God is calling you to. David’s prayer is that God’s principles, instructions, and truths would empower him to live with energy and purpose. He’s saying that being invigorated by God’s Word gives him the strength to praise God, face challenges, and do the work God has set before him. “Your decrees to put iron in my soul.” To me, iron reflects both a fortification and steel. One represents preparation, and the other, action. Fortifying is about mental and emotional

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I Choose Today to See Through God’s Lens

Molinda Hern October 26, 2024

My husband and I recently finished some projects for my office. One of the projects is a soundproofing wall panel. It turned out beautifully, but there is a flaw—an imperfection. The flaw isn’t visible unless it is viewed from a certain angle. Now that I know it’s there, the flaw is all I see. Even though the flaw is obvious to me, not one other person who has seen the end result has noticed it. It’s the same with our own flaws: I’m too tall, too big, don’t speak well, not creative, don’t have any talents, not smart enough, good enough, or quick-thinking enough. Sound familiar? Or maybe the flaws you see in yourself are different. When you look at yourself, those flaws are all you see—you cannot seem to unsee them. When we continue to focus on our flaws, we end up putting limits on our lives, our effectiveness, and our uniqueness. We see others differently—we notice their talents, beauty, and abilities and compare them to our own flaws. We get stuck in this cycle. Even though, as the co-creator of the wall panel, I can see all the flaws, the panel hasn’t lost its usefulness or intent. Same

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I Choose Today to Cling to Our Jesus

Molinda Hern October 24, 2024

When we are going through suffering, pain, loss, tragedy, trauma, it can seem like there is no hope, no way past this pain, no end. And maybe one of the worst feelings of all is feeling like we are alone. I am intimately acquainted with all of these emotions; all of these feelings. I know what it feels like to be in the waters of grief. A friend of mine explained grief this way, “Grief is like waves; sometimes the waves are low and just tickle our feet, but other times the waves are so high that they nearly drown us.” When I lost my son to SIDS, the waves of grief were relentless. Some days, I could only manage to whisper His name through the tears. But even then, I knew I wasn’t alone. What do we do with all these overwhelming emotions and the ache of feeling alone? We call out to the One who walks with us. Call to the One who bore our suffering on the cross. Our Jesus. There is a song called Our Jesus, by Amanda Cook (link below). In the chorus she sings, “Oh, how gracious is the God who came to us

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