I Choose Today...

I Choose Today to Number My Days

I once heard of a gift to give to a new or expecting parent. It is a jar of 6,579 marbles. Seems weird, but that is the number of days from the time the child is born until their 18th birthday. The idea is every day the parent would take out a marble. This signifies that each day is precious with that child. It gives a reminder to use the time with intentionality. Not to hurry their development, but to enjoy every day, every moment for the significance that they are. Just think if we had that type of jar for our lives. How would that change things for us? Would we treat each day as precious, important, or just keep on treating them like just any other ordinary day? Moses talks about this very thing in Psalms 90:12 when he prays, “Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.” Here he is asking God to teach him how precious life is and to give him the wisdom to use each day wisely, effectively, boldly, purposefully. Let’s face it, most of the time when we approach the day we do so with

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I Choose Today to Keep God Center

In the vastness of the universe, there is an order and purpose that holds everything together—a design that keeps planets in orbit and stars in place. Imagine if everything in existence revolved around one fixed point, a single source of strength and purpose. When God is at the center of our lives, He becomes that fixed point, the foundation around which everything else finds its balance and meaning. He is not just a part of our lives; He is the heart of it all, directing our steps, shaping our priorities, and bringing peace to the chaos. Living with God at the center means aligning our lives around His wisdom, love, and guidance, allowing Him to be the steady axis that keeps everything else in its proper place. There is a saying in the church community, “We live in a fallen world.” This means we live in a world that is overcome with doing evil, doing wrong, or worse yet, doing right in one’s own eyes. I recently heard someone say, the universe was meant to have one center in which the whole universe orbits around. This one center keeps everything aligned and orderly. The problem since (and the reason) sin

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I Choose Today: I am Enough

Do you, like me, ever doubt you are enough? I was spending time with God this morning and asking Him if I loved Him enough; if I did enough for Him. It was like I was insecure in my relationship with Him and trying to be worthy… enough. In that moment, when I was questioning my worthiness, He lovingly told me I was enough. I didn’t need to strive to be enough because I already was. He cares so much about you and me that He even knows how many hairs we have on our heads (Matt 10:30). Do you know anyone else who would want to know that much detail about you? He knows every single detail and says “you are enough.” Enough for Him to love. Enough for Him to send His Son to die so we may have an intimate relationship with Him. Enough for Him to use. Enough to be chosen, redeemed, seen. Enough to delight Him. Enough for Him to take the time to care. You are enough for Him. Zephaniah 3:17 tells us that “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in

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I Choose Today to Lean on Jesus in My Pain

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

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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