Know It, Nurse

Therefore, since we also have such a large crowd of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith. Hebrews 12:1-2 Have you ever trained for a race? I did once. I ran a 5K. I trained by running around my neighbourhood. I am no runner, in fact, I really struggle with seeing the point in running. I’m impressed with people who do it, but it is not my preferred form of exercise. But I wanted to prove something…

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 Intellectually, I understand that this is just the beginning. Like, I get that we’ve been self-isolating for only seven days and we have a very, very long way to go. But I’m already tired, y’all. Today my four year old climbed up on our dining room table and jumped off, my almost 2 year old climbed up…

Jesus wept. John 11:35 I’m a cryer. I can’t help it. I try not to be. I will cry at how cute my kids are, or at dog food commercials. But I’ll also have a heart cry that I can’t control. When something moves in my spirit, I can’t keep it in. I like to think of this as more than just a cry. This is weeping. Jesus wept. He wept when his friend Lazarus died. Even though he already knew the end of the story. He knew he would raise Lazarus from the dead. And even though we know the end of this story – that God is victorious…

You will not fear the terror of the night, the arrow that flies by day, the plague that stalks in darkness, or the pestilence that ravages at noon. Though a thousand fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, the pestilence will not reach you. Psalm 91: 5-7 I’m not gonna lie to you. The other night, when I read that there is a very strong likelihood that this pandemic will become endemic (meaning it will always be with us, come and go, like the common cold, but way more destructive) I cried. I had a good, built up, “this isn’t fair” cry. I wonder about my…

“For I know the plans I have for you” – says the Lord – “plans for good and not disaster, to give you a future and a hope” Jeremiah 29:11 This has to be one of the best known scriptures, and one I cling to whenever times get tough. It is comforting to remember that God has a plan for His people, even when our current circumstances can look pretty bleak. We can be sure that He is good and that He wants to give us more than we can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). God sent this message to the prophet Jeremiah while Israel was in exile in Babylon.…

I am certain that I will see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart be courageous. Wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:13-14 No one has ever accused me of being demure. In fact, I’ve been told for most of my life that I tend towards the dramatic (I added the italics for the drama). But one of my most problematic tendencies is not having patience for God’s creation. More often than not I will look to sky and exclaim (again, dramatically) “BURN IT TO THE GROUND, LORD. THIS ISN’T WORTH IT ANYMORE!” at which point my husband will…

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:20b When I was young Christians were very into apocalypse movies. One Friday evening my youth group watched a movie about the rapture and I was scared out of my mind. This movie was terrifying and I thought “wait, I’m supposed to be excited about the end of the world? No thank you.” Today, it can easily feel like the end of the world. Covid-19 is scary and big and something the vast majority of us have never seen or dealt with before. It can be easy to slip into fear over faith. But Jesus…

I don’t know what the next 19 days have in store. But I do know that the whole world is thinking (and worrying) about Covid-19 and with school closures and lives disrupted, we might need 19 solid days of truth. So I am going to write Nineteen Devotionals that will aim to bring comfort, strength and peace in these weird times. If we all (myself included) turn our eyes towards Jesus and keep hoping in his promises, we could come out of this time all the more sure of the future God has waiting for us. I hope that you’ll join me!