Casandra Martin

I wish I was an inventor. Inventors get to look into the future and dream. They think outside of the box, imagining a world that looks very different than the one in which they stand. Today, I don’t want to create new and improved things as much as reinvent my eyes. I wish I could develop potential goggles – glasses that would help me see people as they can be with God’s grace.

Right now, I only see externals and I miss so much. I want to see the homeless man on the corner with eyes of compassion and hope. I want to look at a shy teenager and watch the power of God’s love help her bloom. I want to see what the young adult in handcuffs would be like after experiencing the reality of grace. I long to see hospital rooms transformed, schools bright with possibilities, homes overflowing with joy, and workplaces infused with integrity. The potential is already there because God is there. I just need eyes to see it.

We live in a world in which the brokenness of sin is evident all around us. Sin’s shadow blocks us from seeing the potential in each person we meet. God, however, never fails to see the full potential in every soul. He knows what we can be when we stand in the full strength of His love and purpose. Jesus saw it in every sinner He forgave, every sick person He healed, and every hungry heart He taught. This is why He keeps whispering to His people, “Love them.” When we love, our eyes are transformed.

My Jesus Resolution today is to ask God for potential goggles. I want to see the people I meet today with His eyes. I don’t want to see them just for who they are, but who they can be in Him. I want to walk around with my eyes wide open, impressed with the power of mercy and singing the praises of the One who lives to make me better than I am today. Jesus came to heal the sick, mend the broken, and chase sin’s shadows away with His light. I want to see that world. I can, and I don’t even need to invent potential goggles. Jesus has already made it a reality.

We sat behind the sweetest young family at church on Sunday. Mom, Dad, and their little angel of a girl, not quite a year old, with bright red hair and wide blue eyes. She is busy, curious, and learning what it means to be with God’s people in worship. We love sitting by them. It reminds us of who we are, the power of grace, and the joy of being family.

As I sat behind the little girl, I watched her wiggle, laugh, read books, pull on mom’s sleeves, rub dad’s whiskers, stand up in the seat and grin mischievously, sing, hold a Bible, and play with her quiet toys. (I really was paying attention to the worship service too, I promise!) Finally, it was time for a snack. She settled into mom’s lap, while mom fed her bits of a fruit and cereal bar. At first, she was content to let mom put the bites in her mouth, but it didn’t take long for her to become determined to feed herself. Mom broke the bar into small pieces and her little fingers delighted in squishing them and then finding their way to her face. I’m sure some of the food made it to her tummy, but her fingers and cheeks were sticky as well.

In the midst of protests because the snack was all gone, mom reached into the diaper bag and pulled out a packet of wet wipes. Within moments, the evidence of the mess was gone. The sticky was unstuck, the stains were wiped clean, and the little one was ready to explore the world. Wet wipes are marvelous things. And they helped me see Jesus.

My Jesus Resolution today is to be thankful for the way Jesus cleans up my messes. The wet wipes reminded me of the way the blood of Jesus makes me clean. Over and over, I get sticky with sin, grimy with guilt, and stained with shame. Each time, Jesus faithfully washes me clean, enabling me to face the world with joy and confidence. Today when I see a wet wipe or use a napkin, I am going to remember the way that Jesus moves to help me face life with a grace-cleaned heart and a mercy-scrubbed soul.

It is one of those mornings. You know what I mean. A stay-under-the quilts, hide-your-head-in-the-covers, don’t-want-to-see-anyone kind of day. Some days it is rough. The bruises from yesterday’s encounter with the world haven’t even started healing, and it is time to go do it all over again. Maybe it is a difficult relationship, a financial struggle, a job hardship, a health problem, an overload of busyness, the empty sting of loneliness, or a worrisome fear that has crept down deep into your soul. Whatever it is, hiding sounds far better than getting up and facing it.

Jesus understands. He was misunderstood, misquoted, and mistaken for a demon. People used Him, abused Him, and became furious with Him. He preached love, but was hated for it. He spoke of peace, but was treated with injustice. He invited anyone with a heart for God to walk by His side. In the end, He was rejected, mocked, ridiculed, and murdered. But, and this is a big one, but He got up. On the third day, He got up.

Because He got up, you and I can get up too. Someday, we will get up from death, entering His presence with more praise than we can imagine. But that isn’t all. Because He got up, we can get up today too. We can get up, facing the monsters, the uncertainties, the worries, the struggles, and the fears. Getting up, we can face today with confidence, peace, and hope. We stand in victory because He is victorious. I know it is overwhelming, pressing in so hard you can hardly breathe. But He got up! Never forget that. And because He did, you can too. You can face this. You can get through this. And you can look like Jesus as you do.

My Jesus Resolution today is to get up. I have to admit that there are days in which I just want to throw in the towel. This life isn’t easy. Jesus never promised easy. He does hold out His hand, the nail-scarred one, and asks me to take a step of faith. That step of faith will usher me into a world I can’t imagine. One of hope, healing, comfort, love, presence, power, and perspective. Pull the covers up or trust His love? He got up, so I am going to get up too.

You are so deeply loved. Stop for a minute, and let that soak down deep into your soul. You are loved. You are treasured. You are special. You are delighted in. You are wanted. These are God’s words to you. He speaks them to your heart, longing each minute for you to be filled and defined by their reality.

The world will tell you differently. It will spend a lot of time adding the words if and enough to those sentences. If you are pretty enough. If you are smart enough. If you are wealthy enough, powerful enough, or famous enough, then you might be loved. Sometimes we add our own ifs and enoughs. If I am good enough. If I do enough. If I know enough of the right answers, then…maybe.

The truth is that God’s love for you is limitless. Read Romans 8:38-39, and watch the obstacles to love fall away beneath His determination to love you. Everything about God’s love rests entirely on His decision to love you. It frees you to stop performing to earn His love and start responding to His love. God wants His love for us to be a starting place for joy, a launching pad for surrender, a haven of peace, and a safe place to experience the transformation He longs to work in our lives.

My Jesus Resolution today is to celebrate God’s love for me. I get hung up on too many ifs and enoughs. I let too many voices convince me that I have to measure up or that love is dependent on my ability to meet someone’s expectations. No matter what the world screams at me today or what the whispers in my head might say, I am going to choose to live in the truth of what God wants me to know about His heart. “I have loved you with an everlasting love;” – Jeremiah 31:3b

They walked in the background, very quietly. Up and down the pews they moved with gentle grace. To some, it might have looked like they were checking song books or picking up trash, but it was so much more. They were preparing the empty seats for God to move. They covered each row they walked down with prayer. They prayed for the women who would be there with heavy hearts. They prayed for the ones that needed a friend. They prayed for burdens to be lifted, joy to be poured out, and lives to be opened wide for His presence. They prayed for each soul to see Jesus. They prayed that glory, grace, and goodness would flow out of our time together.

They inspired me, and challenged me to see differently.

Too many times I see things as things – chairs, beds, toothbrushes, dishes, cars, and desks. I pick up toys, loads of laundry, and empty cereal bowls, thinking all the time about the tasks to be done and the to-dos to be accomplished. People, however, are attached to all those things. My little friend from down the street plays with that ball. I can pray for him while I put it away. I can pray that the hungry tummies that sit around my kitchen table will be equally hungry for Jesus. I can pray for my children as I make beds, rinse out toothbrushes, and wash dishes. The empty car next to me in the parking lot is owned by someone whom God loves. I can pray for them. I can move around the desks in the office quietly praying for my co-workers and their families. I can pray for people from whom I receive an email, the newspaper guy when I pick up my paper, or the mail carrier when I get the mail from my box.

My Jesus Resolution today is to see things differently. My friends reminded me to see things as tools attached to people who need Jesus, and each one as an opportunity to pray. Everywhere I walk today, I want to ask God to touch the people who will soon touch these things in my path. Things are more than things. They can serve as reminders of love, glimpses of glory, and opportunities for God to be at work as I pray.

(Taking my own advice and praying over a blog and you as you read it. Enjoy your blessings today!)

It reads like a fairy tale. A beautiful girl who lives as a stranger in a strange land is chosen to try and win the heart of the king. While undergoing twelve months of beauty treatments, her kind and gentle ways win the admiration and loyalty of those around her. Finally, her turn comes and the king chooses her to become his queen.

The crown has barely been placed on her head, however, when an evil presence casts its shadow over her happiness. The wicked man at the center of this evil is ambitious, power-hungry, and bent on destruction. His deep hatred of the queen’s people is matched only by his determination to see them annihilated. He becomes the king’s advisor and a plot, stunning in its scope and ferocity, is born. In a single day, the people he so despises will be wiped out, their blood spilling in the streets all over the kingdom.

The queen’s cousin hears the news and sees the hand of God. He sends word to the queen that her unique position may be the salvation of her people. The queen, who has been keeping her nationality a secret, is frightened. How can she stand up against evil, speak with deep effect, and make a difference for her people? The rest of the story unfolds in equally dramatic fashion. Through wisdom and grace, the queen hosts a banquet in which the wickedness of the evil man is revealed, and her people are saved.

Because it sounds like a fairy tale, we don’t really believe that God means for Esther’s story to be a mirror for our own stories. After all, I am not that beautiful and will never rule over any kingdom, unless someone crowns me queen of the laundry. Yet, the same God that moved in Esther’s life is working in me. Here. Today. For His purpose and glory. Perhaps the effects of Esther courage and commitment are meant to open my eyes and ignite my determination to make a difference for the people I love.

My Jesus Resolution today is to embrace The Esther Effect. I am not here on this earth merely to take up space, breathe the air, and wash dishes. God has put me here to make a difference. To challenge the darkness with His light and to look like Jesus in a world that doesn’t think it needs a Savior. It is time to see Esther’s story as my story. The scenery may be different, but the woman He calls me to be is the same.

In 1988, Rich Mullins wrote a beautiful song that is playing in my heart this morning. Sing with me?

Our God is an awesome God;
He reigns from heaven above
with wisdom, pow’r and love.
Our God is an awesome God.

Awesome is one of those words that is a bit overused in our society. We use it to describe a great hamburger, a beautiful sunset, and our new shoes. There isn’t anything wrong with using the word in a variety of settings, but just for today let’s allow our souls to be awed by our awesome God.

When we describe God as awesome, we are acknowledging that His presence inspires us, allowing awe, reverence, and wonder to fill our hearts. To be honest, I let too many awesome God moments slip by me. Answered prayer should fill us with awe. Worship should catch our breath as we enter His presence. Noticing the way that He provides or protects us should cause our hearts to pause in praise. Grace should make our hearts race and our knees bend. The cross should always compel me towards gratitude. Experiencing God-inspired awe should direct me, if only for the briefest moment, to stop, be still, and glorify the One who is here, who is sovereign, and who loves us beyond measure.

My Jesus Resolution today is to make an awesome God list. I want to be deliberate about noticing all the ways that God touches my day with His presence. I don’t want to miss the chance to be filled with awe. I want to look at the sky and see His handiwork. I want to watch my family and feel His love. I want to be still, feel small, and understand again that God is big. I want to sing and remind myself that I serve an awesome God.

We live near a small park. It isn’t big, but it has trees, swing sets, jungle gyms, and dirt to play in so eventually all the neighborhood kids make it down there. One of the fun things about living so close to the park is watching the families that make their way past our house on their way to play.

The other day, it was a mom with three very young children. The oldest couldn’t have been more than four, while the youngest was just steady on her feet. Mom and the kids were making the trek to the park. I would like to tell you that they were walking, but it looked more like mom in the center of a cyclone with three very busy, energetic blurs swirling around her legs. The oldest girl caught our attention. Her blonde hair blew in the wind while it carried her voice across the street. “Mom, mom, mom! I can’t see the park from here,” she worried. Mom gently put her hand on her back, guiding her in the right direction. The little girl still couldn’t see the park, but kept walking with mom, confident that she knew the way.

I listened, and heard my own voice. I can’t see it, God. I worry, wonder, and ask ‘why?’ about not being able to see around the next corner. I insist on a map, a timeline, and a preplanned route (one approved by me) before being willing to take the next step. I wear myself out trying to figure out what is ahead instead of enjoying the walk and the beauty of the moment I am in. I forget that just because I can’t see it doesn’t mean that God doesn’t know where He is going.

My Jesus Resolution today is to learn from the little girl on my street. She couldn’t see it, but she kept walking. She trusted the one who loves her to get her where she needed to go. Many times I can’t see it. The way is filled with twists and turns that fill me with worry. But God can see what I can’t. He is leading me on the right path in order to bring me closer to His heart. I need to trust the One who loves me to get me where I need to go. I need to remember that even when I can’t see it, the best thing I can do is to keep walking with my Father.

I love new shoes. Trying on new shoes opens up new worlds of possibilities. You can see yourself differently as you slip into sandals, buckle up boots, or tie up new tennis shoes. You can feel glamorous in heels or search for comfort among the slippers. Each pair of shoes lets you frame yourself in a different picture and imagine, dream, or deal with the practical.

Did you know that God is in the shoe business? Every day, as you are getting dressed, He wants you to slip on a very special pair of shoes. “and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.” (Ephesians 6:15) When we wear these God-given shoes, we literally stand in peace. They help us be ready to face whatever comes our way through the day.

The most interesting feature of these peace-infused shoes is that they are designed as battle gear. They help us stand firm during the war that is being waged all around us. The wisdom writer wraps up his discussion on time by reminding us that there is “…a time for war, and a time for peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:8b) The blessing is that we live in peace, even as we daily face the spiritual battle that rages in this world.

My Jesus Resolution today is to put on my shoes. My heart craves peace, and the best peace is found when I stand fully in Christ. Like any pair of shoes, putting on peace requires bending low and covering what is vulnerable and tender with something strong and durable. It is a daily habit, putting on these shoes of peace. They remind us of where we stand, who we stand with, and what it means to be a person moved by peace. War is inevitable. We are going to face its assaults daily. Whether we are able to stand up or are knocked flat really depends on whether we have taken the time to put on our shoes.