I Choose Today...

I Choose Today to be Unburdened

Molinda Hern October 10, 2024

Last weekend I hosted an event at my home. When greeting my guest at the door, I ask to take their bags, coats, and anything else that weighs them down. This allows them to relax and be unburdened. When we are unburdened, we have the freedom to be more present and enjoy ourselves with the people we are with. Jesus wants to do that for us too. When we come into His presence, He wants us to give Him our burdens, our baggage, and the things that are weighing on us. He wants to unburden us, teach us, and to give us rest for our souls. That is exactly what He is saying to us in Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭29‬, when He vows, “Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” What kind of physical reaction do you have when you imagine having “rest for your soul?” I know I have a visceral response to having rest for my soul. It feels like a deep inward sense of relief, freedom, and lightness, allowing me to feel more settled. For example, when I am up in

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I Choose Today to Live Beyond Success

Molinda Hern October 5, 2024

Recently I left my marketplace job to pursue the passion God has placed on my heart. My COO asked me what I learned about myself while working. I learned is my value and success was not tied to what I did or how the world defined my achievements. You see, at the beginning of my marketplace working career, I was told I held no value to organizations because I didn’t have a degree or professional certifications. They didn’t value the knowledge and experience I brought to the table, only what kind of degree or certifications I had. With each rejection, I began to believe what I value I did have wasn’t valuable at all. I would not be considered a success unless I aligned myself with their requirements. So I worked hard and got the degrees and certifications in record time. I went above and beyond to attain the value and be successful in the eyes of the marketplace. They were thrilled and impressed by my accomplishments. I worked in environments that upheld respect and the appearance of success. But do you want to know a secret? I was miserable. I felt like an imposter, a phony. Because the truth

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I Choose Today to Change My Spiritual Wardrobe

Molinda Hern October 1, 2024

God’s Word is rich with practical wisdom for daily life. In his letter to the Colossians (3:12-14), Paul paints a clear picture of how we are called to interact with others: “Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.” In a world where being quick to judge, offend, or harbor resentment is common, God calls us to walk a different path—a path that stands in stark contrast to our culture. We are asked to change our spiritual wardrobe and dress in qualities that reflect Christ’s character. Let’s break down what that looks like in our lives: • Make allowances for others: This means giving grace when others fall short. None of us are perfect, and offering forgiveness can create space for healing and growth in our relationships. • Forgive freely: Forgiveness isn’t just a suggestion, it’s a command. Letting go of grudges and bitterness frees us to experience the

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I Choose Today to Embrace the Magnitude of God’s Love

Molinda Hern September 28, 2024

Not too long ago, my Aunt pointed out a small, easily overlooked word that completely shifted my understanding of one of the most well-known verses in the Bible. It was as though I was just beginning to grasp the true magnitude of God’s love. So… “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” John‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬ ‭ How many times have we read and quoted that verse and overlooked the word “so” and its significance? The word “so” in this verse is meant to convey the extent or magnitude of God’s love. It shows us the vastness of God’s love — a love so great that He gave His only Son. “So” conveys a powerful image of God’s love in action — it’s not just that He loved, but that He loved to such an extraordinary measure. When we grasp that God so loved the world, it shifts how we live. This love reaches into our deepest struggles and lifts us into grace and salvation. Guilt and shame are byproducts of a broken world — the same world that tells us our mistakes define us,

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I Choose Today to Walk in Restoration

Molinda Hern September 26, 2024

Not long ago, I talked about Simon Peter, how he was the boldest, most outspoken, and enthusiastic of all the disciples. He was the first to put himself out there for God; to take a stand, to be bold in how he felt, to be a leader among his peers. But when push came to shove, when it mattered the most, Peter denied knowing Jesus, not once, but three times. He essentially turned his back on Jesus when the pressures of his circumstances became too much for him to handle. After Jesus’ death, Peter lost all hope. He went back to the life he knew, the way of life Jesus had called him out of. Instead of being the “fisher of men” Jesus called him to, he went back to being a fisher of, well, fish. Instead of giving people the gift of being able to be sustained into eternity through Christ Jesus, he was giving them a once and done deal of sustaining them for a moment, merely surviving. How often do we do that same thing? We make a mistake and we lose all hope of a thriving life? We figure we’d go back to our lives since

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