Casandra Martin

His dad came to pick him up. We had spent the afternoon playing with our little friend and smiles covered everyone’s faces. Basketballs bounced, footballs were thrown, and spaghetti sauce graced the tablecloth, floor, and a couple of sleeves. Trains made their way across the tracks and the aroma of chocolate chip cookies filled the air.

The cookies were there by special request. A couple of days before, I mentioned that I was headed to the grocery store and my little friend told me that I needed to buy chocolate chips. “We need to make chocolate chip cookies.” Having previously been at my house when I didn’t have all the necessary ingredients, he wanted to make sure I was prepared. Chocolate chips went on the list.

We made the cookies and enjoyed them (after the proper amount of vegetables, of course). We were putting his jacket on and zipping up his backpack when he looked at me and said, “Can I take some cookies home with me? Two? No, I need five.”

Embarrassed, his dad tried to redirect his request. My boys laughed. I headed to the kitchen. Five cookies in a bag for a little boy I love.

I gave him cookies, but he gave me so much more. Another mirror into the heart of God. He wanted something and he asked. No worries, no “how will this look?” no “should I or shouldn’t I?” no “is this too much?” He knows my heart. He trusted. He asked and he received.

God wants me to ask with all the innocence, trust, faith, wisdom, and sincerity of a child asking for cookies. My little friend didn’t worry about asking for too much. He trusted that my answer would be the very best for him. God wants me to stand in his shoes. Trust His heart and ask with boldness.

My Jesus Resolution today is to set my worry down and ask. God delights in me even more than we delight in the children who bless our lives. Joy flows from bringing my requests to God, looking up, and asking Him to move. Courage comes from knowing that He will only give me His very best. Today I am going to be bold. Today I am going to remember that God is prepared to fill me with Himself. All I have to do is ask.

They cover the ground. Their shells make a crunching noise under my shoes. Some of the acorns are broken open, spilling their orange flesh onto the street. Some are intact and whole, waiting for soft soil. There are hundreds of them, thousands of them on the ground. You don’t have to look up at the tree to know you are standing under an oak. Just look at the seeds everywhere.

The oak isn’t choosy about where its acorns fall. It sends the acorns flying to the ground, trusting that the processes God put in place will help a few of them find the right conditions for growth. The tree’s job is to release the seeds. God created the oak so that it would cover its path with acorns. A few of them will find a way to sprout.

As I crunched through the carpet of acorns left by the oak tree, their sheer number provided me with a mirror and a question. How many seeds am I leaving behind? Do I leave evidence of Jesus wherever I go? Can people tell by the fruit that remains that a Christian has stood here?

God calls us to be like the oak tree and leave seeds everywhere we go. The seeds are the evidence of Jesus that invites someone to seek His face, stand surrendered beneath the cross, and dance with joy before the empty tomb. Many of the seeds will get broken. Some will get carried off and hidden away. A few might find hearts hungry for Him and God will work in the miracle we sometimes call faith.

My Jesus Resolution today is to spread my seeds. I am going to leave Jesus behind wherever I go today. I want each person I meet to walk away with a little touch of His grace, a whiff of His aroma, and a taste of His love. It means being deliberate about my example, being intentional about my words, and being purposeful about my choices. I am going to pick up an acorn and carry it in my pocket. It will be a reminder for me of how God wants to use me to plant a seed in someone’s life today.

He prayed and he prayed. The situation seemed unbearable. The circumstances pressed against his heart causing an ache that wouldn’t go away. The burden crushing his soul, draining his body, and sapping his strength was too much to bear. Surely God would hear, listen, respond, and move.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9.

God didn’t remove Paul’s thorn in the flesh. Instead, He gave him a greater gift – sufficient grace. It is the same promise He gives us when we feel overwhelmed. Sometimes we pray and pray for a situation to be removed from our lives, for pain to be relieved, or for a relationship to be restored. Instead, God gives us the grace sufficient to walk through the circumstance and come out more like Jesus on the other side.

Sufficient grace is a powerful promise. In it, God sets our hearts on the foundation of His sufficiency. He will be enough. He will never run out, dry up, wear down, or fall apart. Whatever we need, He will be sufficient to meet the moment. There won’t be a hole too deep, a hurt too big, a path too dark, or a load too heavy for God. No matter how much you need today, God will be sufficient. He will fill the moment with Himself and carry you through.

With His sufficiency comes His grace. His undeserved, unmerited, unimaginable, unfathomable grace. Every minute of today is infused with His goodness. No matter how dark the night, Light walks with you. No matter how deep the pain, Love surrounds you. No matter how overwhelming the odds, Peace stands by your side. Sufficient grace means that you will have what you need today to stand in whatever circumstance you are in and look like Jesus.

My Jesus Resolution today is to rest in His sufficient grace. I am not strong enough, smart enough, resourceful enough, or creative enough to handle today on my own. Thank God, I don’t have to be. His grace is sufficient to heal the hurts, answer the questions, handle the doubts, and cover the sins. My weaknesses can be a showcase for His power. I don’t know what I am going to face today, but I know that He will give me grace sufficient enough to meet the moment.

Every week he gets to pick a song. Every week he chooses the same one. His dad rolls his eyes. The people around him try to get him to pick something else. Some giggle. Some groan. I whisper a prayer of thanks. Every week he chooses Our God is an Awesome God.

He is just a little guy, but it is a big song with an enormous message. Our God is an awesome God. Our God is a possessive term. He is my God. We are connected. We share relationship. We live together and walk side by side. God tells us that we can claim Him in this personal, intimate, tied-together way. “As God has said: ‘I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.’”        – 2 Corinthians 6:16b.

Our God is an awesome God. He is awesome – inspiring, impressive, excellent, and outstanding. Those are neat pictures of God’s heart and His actions on our behalf. He inspires awe. He draws our hearts to worship and adoration. He inspires us to move beyond ourselves and embrace all the goodness He has for us. He is impressive and longs to impress the image of His Son deep on our hearts. He is excellent, perfect, praiseworthy, and true. His very heart becomes our standard for life and godliness. He is outstanding. There is no one like Him. He stands alone, and yet opens the door for us to live with Him.

My Jesus Resolution today is to sing Our God is an Awesome God out loud. I am going to let the words penetrate my soul, lift my eyes, encourage my heart, and inspire my steps. I am going to sing it until my troubles take on their proper perspective. I am going to sing it as a framework for joy. I am going to sing it for the world to hear. I can’t think of a better message to let resonate in our minds than the truth that our God is an awesome God. Keep singing, little one. I will sing and smile with you.