Casandra Martin

She called home to touch base. She hadn’t felt well for a couple of days and was feeling a little homesick. “I just can’t put my finger on it. I feel off.” “I know what it is,” I replied. “You miss your momma.” She laughed. That is my answer for every time my kids are having an off day. Missing home can just make you feel out of kilter. We talked a few minutes more and she headed off to work. Our conversation, however, has resonated with me all day.

Sometimes our hearts ache and we just can’t put our finger on why. We have an unanswerable longing for something that we can’t quite name. We chalk it up to being busy, tired, stressed, or a lack of chocolate. The truth, however, may be soul deep. Maybe we are missing home.

The truth is we don’t fit here. We walk through our days as citizens of another kingdom. The more we look like Jesus, the more our hearts ache for His presence. The longer we stand in His light, the deeper our discomfort with the darkness around us. The more we give ourselves to holiness, the more out of kilter we feel with our culture. Perhaps C.S. Lewis said it best. “If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.”

My Jesus Resolution today is to remember that I am made for another world. It is okay to miss home. I am not supposed to feel entirely comfortable walking in this world. Its joys and beauty are shadows of the delights of heaven. Its sorrows and troubles remind me that I am on a journey and need to travel light. Next time I feel a little off, I am going to remember that maybe, just maybe, I am missing home.

The sign announced the Grand Opening. The Miracle Hair Salon is opening up on a corner near my house. I smiled as I drove by, imagining the conversations that would take place in the coming days. “My hair is a mess. I need a miracle!” “It is going to take a miracle for me to look good enough for this reunion.” “Do you have a miracle that will get the gum out of this head of hair?”

Sometimes I wish there was a miracle salon. Someplace where I could go, plunk down my credit card, and get a miracle. I like the idea of being able to order up a miracle to suit my needs, answer my pain, or ease my way. But that isn’t the way God works. His extraordinary power fills our ordinary moments. He gives us more miracles in a day than we ever notice. He paints beauty on the petals of a flower, pulls the tides of the ocean onto the beach, brushes the tips of the mountains with snow, and filters sunlight through the clouds.

Every time we see God’s movement in the world, we are witnessing something amazing. Our God who is outside of time moves in time to answer prayers, walk in our sorrows, transform our hearts, and give us what our hearts so desperately need. When we need a miracle, God gives us something so much greater than a momentary solution, He gives us Himself.

My Jesus Resolution today is to pay attention. God is here. God is moving all around me. He answers before I ask. He sees to my needs before I know them myself. He fills the world with beauty, color, texture, flavor, and joy simply because He loves me. I don’t need a miracle salon. I need open eyes to see the miracles that are taking place all around me every day.

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” – Anne Frank

Today’s to-do list: Change the world. Why are you laughing? We often think changing the world requires having super powers, extraordinary fame, or unlimited resources. In reality, improving the world is as simple as breathing a prayer, walking in faith, and smiling with joy. Remember, God does the changing. We are simply His instruments.

Here are ten things you can do today to start improving the world.

1. Pray.

2. Engage in a deliberate act of kindness.

3. Give a hug.

4. Send a thank you note.

5. Post something encouraging on Facebook or Twitter.

6. Live the Golden Rule.

7. Play with a child.

8. Turn off the television.

9. Smile.

10. Tell one person about Jesus.

My Jesus Resolution today is to improve my little corner of the world. Too many times, I look at the world and throw up my hands in despair, not realizing the power one act of kindness, one word of mercy, or one expression of hope can have on someone else. How might the world improve if we all committed to leaving a little bit of Jesus behind us as we move through our day?