Shoulder Bite

Hey, ya’ll. It’s Daisy. Today, we are on the “This Week” page of our Alone With God journal. This means we are looking ahead and taking inventory of our lives and putting specific focus on areas in which we want God to strengthen us or enlighten us. And the reason this is so important is because it is so good to have an intentional goal for our focus each week because this is how God changes us and how he refines us so that everything that flows from us is truly life-giving and so that we bear fruit.

So take some time to be intentional about what parts of your life you’ll pray over this week and what you’ll be focused on spiritually. The verses you want to study. The actions that you will take to honor God and the changes that he wants to make inside of you. I think it’s best to do this on a Monday, but God is so happy to have you put your focus on him at any time. So, please, just start wherever you are. If you don’t have an Alone With God journal, come get one at wordbymail.com.

Here is a short devotional that I have written for you.

Proverbs 19:11 (NIV)
9 A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.

When I was about four years old, my mom came to get me from my friend’s house. I wasn’t ready for playtime to be over. So, as my mom picked me up and put me on her hip, I bit right down into her shoulder. And she screamed in pain. But she did not drop me, she didn’t bite back, she didn’t yell at me. She just waited until we got home, and then she talked to me about why we don’t bite our mother, and she showed me so much grace, and patience, and understanding. More than I probably would have shown.

So, I just want to think about how we react when someone hurts us. When we practice a life of self-control, patience, and reflection, we become slower to anger. When we’re intentional about our relationship with God, we become so intentional about our relationship with others, which makes us more kind, and compassionate, and loving people. It makes us responsive instead of reactive, which then heals our connection with creation instead of dividing us.

My mom was so patient with me instead of reacting in the heat of the moment, and I knew that she was in pain. But she knew that I was a little kid who just didn’t know how to express my big emotions in that moment. And even though it hurt her, the benefit of her taking the time to listen to me, and help me, and find words for my feelings, and encourage me to grow is what helped us to become closer in that moment instead of driving us further apart by leading with her wisdom and her compassion which she practiced daily – even before I was born. It built trust, and it showed me such unconditional love.

And so, I think that we should take time, close in prayer, and just be vigilant about the way that we’re living our lives and how that impacts everything.

Let’s pray. Lord, help me. Please help me to be a wise person in m y relationships. Help me to forgive others as you have forgiven me. Please make me slower to anger and quick to mend my relationships. I pray that you would enrich my life with your goodness and help me to treat others the way that you have instructed me to treat them. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Alright, I hope that you enjoyed our devotional for today. If you need an Alone With God journal, please come get one at wordbymail.com. And until next time, I pray that you have a wonderful and safe week. I love you.