I Choose Today...

I Choose Today to See God in the Ordinary

Have you ever wondered if God is moving in your life, but you just didn’t notice? What if He’s been passing by in ordinary moments, and we weren’t paying attention? But what if we’re looking in the wrong places? See, in Scripture, God rarely shows up the way people expect. Samuel heard His voice, but didn’t recognize it at first (1 Samuel 3). The disciples were just going about their normal workday when Jesus happened by and called them to something greater (Matthew 4:18-20). And the woman at the well? She was just doing her daily chore, completely unaware that an encounter with Jesus was about to change her life forever (John 4). God passes by in the ordinary—but are we paying attention? I’ve had moments where I almost missed Him. • At a gas station, I noticed a woman sitting in her car at the pump. The Holy Spirit whispered, You’re going to fill her tank. A moment later, she tearfully asked if I could put gas in her car. Without hesitation, I filled it up. She didn’t say thank you. She just drove away. And you know what? That had to be okay. God didn’t ask me to

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I Choose Today to Believe God Can Use Me

The name of God is nowhere to be found in the book of Esther. It is as though He was absent. Instead, the narrative of Esther mimics our own experiences today—an era of dominance and oppression where power belongs to the elite. It was a time of opulence, where the who’s-who flaunted their wealth and influence, and where those in authority made reckless decrees without wisdom or justice. In our world today, we see something similar. Society elevates influencers who seem to have it all—wealth, status, and the admiration of millions. They hold positions of power, appearing wise and all-knowing while often using their influence to serve themselves rather than others. Many of us are left feeling insignificant in comparison, wondering if our lives truly matter. But then, there’s Esther. God used a lowly, orphaned girl to upend the most powerful empire of her day. She came from an oppressed people, living in exile, treated with contempt and abuse, considered unworthy and powerless. And yet, when the time came, she was the one God used to change history. She wasn’t royalty by birth, she wasn’t highly educated, and she certainly wasn’t the logical choice to stand before a king and

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I Choose Today to Venture Beyond the Familiar

I live outside the greater DC area. It is a small, tucked away place where it is quiet, peaceful, stunningly beautiful, and dare I say, magical. It is tempting to stay here in my bubble of bliss, of utopia, and never go out of my area again. But moving around so much has taught my husband and myself to get out and explore the area and see what it has to offer. Even though we love where we live, we enjoy seeing the different cultures, people, food, and beauty in other areas around us. But there are people in our area who don’t explore and are content to stay in their bubble of bliss. This became apparent when I took a friend to the airport in DC. She grew up in my area, but rarely leaves it to explore the city. I took her to places she had never seen before, places I frequent. She was surprised by how easily I navigated my way without even a GPS. We went to a fun diner and had a wonderful meal in a neighborhood she had never experienced. It was fun to show her the city she spent her life near but

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I Choose Today to Let God Uproot the Weeds

Peeling back an onion is often used as an analogy for uncovering deeper truths, layer by layer. But I believe a better picture of this process is found in the artichoke. You see, an artichoke isn’t actually a vegetable—it’s the flower bud of a thistle, or in other words, a weed. Yes, a weed! And yet, inside this weed is something valuable. The artichoke consists of three protective layers, all designed to shield its heart. The thorns are the first line of defense. Sharp and uninviting, they keep anything from getting too close. They serve one purpose: to protect. Then come the bracts, the thick, impenetrable leaves that offer additional protection. But here’s the thing—when you peel back a bract, a small piece of the heart comes with it. The deeper you go, the more of the heart is exposed. And finally, there’s the choke. A tangled mass of hair-like fibers, the choke is the messiest and most time-consuming barrier to remove. But once it’s gone, all that remains is the heart—tender, valuable, and no longer hidden beneath layers of self-protection. We do the same thing in our own lives. We develop layers of self-protection, even thorns, to keep others

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I Choose Today to Practice

The other day I was watching the show Amazing Race. The participants were challenged to learn a dance from another culture and then perform it in front of judges who would determine whether or not they got all the steps and nuances correct. They would pick an instructor to teach them what they needed to know. But it wasn’t until they went out to preform the dance, did they understand where they needed to practice some more. Watching their instructors was not enough, they needed to practice and refine their skills to succeed. This reminds me of what Paul says in Philippians 4:9, where he encourages us to put into practice what we’ve learned in our faith. “Keep putting into practice all you have learned and received from me-everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.” Just like the contestants on The Amazing Race, we can’t just watch others live out their faith—we have to step out and do it ourselves. We can read the Bible, listen to sermons, and learn from great teachers, but at some point, we have to apply what we’ve learned. And just like those contestants,

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