Casandra Martin

She walks on the fringes of the crowd. Her desperation is written vividly on her face, but no one notices. Invisible, she presses on through the throngs of people hoping to get a little closer. Just the hem of His garment….

For twelve years, she has suffered with an issue of blood. Life drains out of her, leaving her sapped, weary, and weak. Her heart has suffered as much as her body. Hope leaks out with each day. Joy seeps away. Peace ebbs, but never seems to flow back in. The knowledge that she is unclean defines more than her physical state. Her soul feels dirty.

Used up, unwanted, and unseen. Ever felt like that? We all have issues. Issues that impoverish us, isolate us, empty us, shame us, make us invisible, exhaust us, and leave us hopeless. What issue is making you feel vulnerable, alone, and desperate?

The end of the story is the just the beginning. She moves through the crowd and reaches out, not for His hand, His attention, or His face. Just the hem of His garment. Stooping toward the ground, her fingers graze the rough cloth. Power is unleashed. Hope becomes a tidal wave. The issue that had defined her for so long is redefined by His presence.

“Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, ‘Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.’ And instantly the woman was made well.” – Matthew 9:22

My Jesus Resolution today is to take my issues to Him. Too many times, I try to find my own solutions, come up with my own answers, or settle for living on the fringes of His presence. I may feel unworthy to seek His face, but Jesus sees me. I may be weak and used up, but Jesus is willing to pour His strength into my broken heart. I may be willing to settle for the hem of His garment, but Christ wants to give me His heart, and in the light of His glory, my issues become pathways for praise.

I love the honesty and transparency of children. They humble me with their ability to speak truth and show me my heart.

Sitting down to eat dinner with friends, the little boy at the table was called on to bless our food and lead us in prayer. He praised God for His love and faithfulness, remembered someone who is sick, asked for blessings on his class, and then there was a pause. He hesitated long enough that I opened my eyes for a peek. I saw him staring down at his food, and just when I was wondering what was going through his mind, he wrapped his prayer up with the following words. “And thank you God…for almost everything.”

His mother and I grinned, but truth be told, his words have stuck in my head and tapped on a hard place in my heart. Some days, I am thankful…for almost everything. There are sometimes people I want to cross off the list, stresses that have made the day hard, disappointments that have been discouraging, unexpected pressures that ate my time, and things I just didn’t like that came across my plate. I am okay with being thankful for the pleasant, happy, comfortable parts of my day, but the less than fun stuff is easy to push into the ‘almost everything’ pile.

God, however, calls us to be thankful in all circumstances. He longs for me to slow down and look for the ways that His presence is infused in my day. His fingerprints touch my moments, His love enfolds my path, His grace stretches out before me, and His purpose is shaping even the ‘almost everything’ pieces of my life.

My Jesus Resolution today is to choose gratitude instead of grumbling. Being grateful requires me to have open eyes and a clear vision of my Savior. Walking in His steps plants my feet on holy ground and sets my heart on a path of amazement. Grumbling turns my eyes inward and makes it all about me. Searching for His fingerprints means I need a transformed heart and a humble spirit. Today I am thankful that He used a little boy to remind me to seek Him out in everything.

He was maybe twelve years old. Stuck in a line of traffic, I watched him walk through the grass, shoulders heavy with a backpack and books. He kicked the dirt, watching leaves and sticks go flying. He didn’t seem to be in a hurry. A boy exploring on his way home.

I knew the moment when he found it. The ant pile beckoned with mystery and adventure. His attention became focused, his eyes fixed on the ground. His feet couldn’t quite decide what to do. First, he gently poked a toe right at the edge of the pile. The ants kept on with their work, his curiosity growing. You could see the wheels turning in his mind. His toes began to dig in deeper. He didn’t jump back the second time quite as quickly as he had at first. He got bolder, determined to leave his mark on the ant pile.

I whispered to myself, “Don’t do it, kid.” Finally, he stepped too far. His brave move was replaced by hopping, swatting, shaking, and grimaces. The ants had swarmed up his pant legs. Covered in ants, he endured their bites as he tried frantically to brush them off. Dejected, he looked back at the ants that had left more marks on him than he did on their pile.

What is your ant pile?

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with temptation he will also provide a way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” – 1 Corinthians 10:13

My Jesus Resolution today is to step around the ant pile. I have them. So do you. Places that challenge us to dive in rather than walk away. For a while, it seems brave, daring, risky, and powerful to challenge the ant pile. But in the end, I always get bitten. I end up hurting, wishing I had listened to the voice that said, “Don’t do it, my child.” God has so many wonders in store for me, I don’t need to make up my own. It may be tempting to kick the ant pile, but real adventure comes from walking with God.

Dear young mother,

I watched you today in worship. You spent the hour doling out cheerios, retrieving toys, quieting babies, and dealing with a tantrum. You looked around a little embarrassed, hoping, but not believing, that no one noticed the mess surrounding your pew. You shook your head, whispering that maybe it just isn’t worth it right now. Maybe when they are older or you have it more together, you can make it all work.

Please look in my eyes and hear this truth. I watched you in worship today and praised God for you. I thanked God for your commitment to bring your children into God’s presence and introduce them to worship. You inspired me, challenged me, stretched me, and humbled me with your deep love and searching heart. You reminded me of Jesus’ love for children and His command that my faith needs to find its mirror in the face of your little ones.

I know these days are hard. You spend more time walking in and out than sitting and listening. Worship days mess up their schedule, interfere with bedtimes, and make for cranky Mondays. Please believe me when I tell you that what you are doing is so worth the investment. You may not see it in the midst of disrupted naps and lost shoes, but every time you faithfully make worship a priority, you are writing His glory into the story of your children’s lives. You are giving them a foundation that will not be easily broken, a framework that will help them build a faith that will stand for a lifetime.

My Jesus Resolution today is to cheer on a young mom. Little ones grow up so fast, and it doesn’t take long to forget the courage and commitment it requires to get small children to church. I want to slow down, hug a young mom, and whisper to her heart that God sees, knows, and is blessing her efforts. I want to be able to listen to a baby’s fussing and hear faith growing. I want you to know, young mom, that you are doing great. The seeds you are planting today will someday bloom into something that will take your breath away as you watch them grow up to look like Jesus.

It is one of my earliest memories. I was four years old. My little sister had taken a tumble and broken her arm. My mom carried two little girls to the doctor’s office. I’m sure she was frazzled and worried. My sister was crying and in pain. I was wide-eyed and trying to be a helper. Finally, they called my sister’s name. While we would never dream of doing this today, I was told that I had to sit in the waiting room while my mom took my sister back to see the doctor.

Suddenly, the waiting room seemed very big. I was just a little girl trying to hold it together, scared about sitting by myself in a room full of strangers. I sat in the big, plastic chair, not moving because I was obeying my mom’s instructions to sit still. As my nerves increased, I began to do the only thing I could think of to calm my heart. I began to sing ‘Jesus Loves Me.’ At first, I whispered the words, but as the familiar tune washed over me, I began to sing louder. Pretty soon, the entire waiting room echoed with the voice of a little girl reminding herself that ‘Jesus loves me, this I know…’

I don’t know what is scaring you today or making your heart pound with fear or twisting your insides into knots. Maybe you can see it coming. Perhaps it will take you by surprise. Whatever happens, a four year old’s wisdom might be the best answer to face your fear head on, and remind your heart of the truth it most needs to hear – Jesus loves me, this I know…

My Jesus Resolution today is to sing. I want to be as brave as my four year old self. I want to sing at the top of my lungs as I face my fear. I want to forget fretting and focus on simply being faithful. I want the truth of God’s love to fill me up and overflow into the space and people around me. All it takes is the courage to sing, ‘Jesus loves me, this I know…’

Do you ever just feel stuck? It seems like no matter which way you turn there is a wall staring you in the face. Boxed in, your heart feels squeezed small by the pressure. Hope seeps out like air from a dying balloon. Frustration and despair become constant companions as you look with bewildered eyes at the obstacles that now fill your vision. It doesn’t matter what has brought you to this place – a broken relationship, financial stresses, health issues, job troubles, faltering dreams, or sin and its consequences. You look around and just feel stuck. There is no way out, and our hearts weren’t designed to live, really live, in tight, closed off spaces.

Listen to these words by Don Moen, and let them echo in your soul.

God will make way where there seems to be no way,

He works in ways we cannot see, He will make a way for me.

He will be my guide, hold me closely to His side,

With love and strength for each new day, He will make a way,

He will make a way.

God is in the ‘making a way’ business. The Bible is filled with stories in which people felt boxed in, stuck, broken, and insufficient for the challenge, but find themselves rescued, redeemed, relieved, and renewed by a God who makes a way. Their stories are meant to help you trace the way that God is creating a way in your story. He may not open the way you expect, or even wish. He may call you to crawl through a window when you have been praying for an open door. But God is in the business of making a way for you to look more like Jesus no matter where you find yourself. No place is too small for God to work.

My Jesus Resolution today is to trade stuck for still. Instead of being frantic and trying to find my own solutions, I am going to be still and trust in the One who is the Way. I want to open my eyes to the ways in which God is at work all around me. I want to see the beauty in where I am, not just where I want to be. I want to remember that the cross is not a stop sign, but a door opening the way into the very presence of God. I want to celebrate the truth that God is making a way for me, even when there seems to be no way.

Transparency is tough. It requires doing exactly the opposite of what our society declares to be most important. Transparency is the decision to be see-through. Transparency challenges us to lay down the mask of self-sufficiency and admit need, imperfection, brokenness, and the inability to handle everything by ourselves. We live in a “don’t let them see you sweat” world. Success is defined by how effortless you make your life seem. There is tremendous pressure to have all the answers, juggle all the balls, and pull off the impossible, all while having fresh manicures and perfect hair days. We exhaust ourselves creating a façade while failing to feed our souls.

Transparency allows our souls to breathe. It gives our hearts access to grace, prayers, support, and love. We are often afraid to be transparent because we fear others will judge or abandon us. And there may be some who do. But overwhelmingly, people respond with mercy and compassion. It is a relief to know that others struggle, to join together as we seek God with hungry hearts, and to discover blessings in brokenness. Transparency acknowledges a fundamental truth – we are not in control. It is counterintuitive to admit that, but it is also the only pathway to freedom and peace.

My Jesus Resolution today is to be transparent. I am going to fight against my ingrained habit of wearing a mask and hiding my true self. Transparency has the power to stretch my faith, open the storehouse of His grace, and shine a light into a dark world. I am going to risk opening the door to my heart when fear urges me to keep it tightly closed. I am going to trust God’s faithfulness when it might seem easier to hang onto personal control. Most of all, being transparent means letting others see how Jesus is taking shape in me as I open the windows of my soul and allow Him to shine through me.

Psalm 119:161-168

Quick! Name something you do seven times a day. Other than perhaps taking care of private business, there are very few things that we do seven times a day. We brush our teeth twice a day, eat three times a day (okay, maybe there are couple of snacks, too), run errands, pick up toys, and do mountains of laundry. It seems like I trip over my daughter’s shoes at least seven times a day, answer more than seven emails a day, and let the dog in and out seven times a day. But really, doing something seven times a day requires a deliberateness, a thoughtfulness, a dedication that my too busy, run-this- way-and-that lifestyle doesn’t support.

“Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous rules.” – Psalm 119:164

This little verse in the middle of the twenty-first stanza of Psalm 119 whispers an invitation and issues a challenge to my heart. Do I stop seven times a day to praise God? I blush as I try to remember when I last stopped and praised God. I remember worrying, being anxious, checking Facebook, turning on the TV, and powering up my computer. Did I pause to praise? Did I slow down and celebrate His goodness? Did I wait and worship? How might the rhythm of my day be different if I made praise a priority? Stopping to praise Him at mealtimes, first thing in the morning, and last thing at night still only equal five. There are still opportunities to seek His face in the middle of the morning and in the middle of the afternoon. My heart would be different, the cadence of my day would be different, the texture of my soul would be different, and the focus of my family would be different if we could say that we praise God seven times a day.

My Jesus Resolution today is to praise Him seven times. I am going to let praise structure my day. I want to let worship build the foundation for how I see my circumstances, my relationships, my job, and my struggles. I want to honor the way that God is working in me and around me. I long to have eyes so open to His movement, His grace, His power, and His glory that I can’t help but cry out in wonder and awe seven times a day.

Psalm 119:153-160

Information overload. Studies show that our brains are being asked to process greater and more varied types of information than ever before. Information streams in from every direction, calling for our attention, demanding we sort through the avalanche, and persistently challenging us to absorb more detail. We have almost instant access to vast stores of history, literature, world events, scientific breakthroughs, and cultural traditions. There is so much information that it can be hard to settle our minds and differentiate between what is just interesting and what is actually important.

“The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.” – Psalm 119:160

The writer of the twentieth stanza of Psalm 119 understands and reminds us of an essential reality. The sum of God’s word is truth. The voices in the world offer other answers. There will always be alternative solutions, short cuts, “new” discoveries, and paths that promise much, but never seem to go anywhere. We are encouraged to weigh our options and choose our own ways. Yet here the psalmist reminds us that when the fog lifts and the dust settles, God’s truth will still be standing. We can go to it with confidence, sure that when we follow God’s wisdom, we will be on the right path. We can run ourselves ragged trying to sort through mountains of data on the information superhighway, but any word on God’s pages can be summed up in one word – truth.

My Jesus Resolution today is simplify. Reading God’s Word every day has the power to shed the bright light of truth into the information overload that threatens to overwhelm me. It teaches me how to view world events in the light of God’s sovereignty. It shows me how to respond to broken hearts, hurting families, and deep struggles. It gives me an eternal perspective on the “latest” and “greatest” headlines that pull at my pocketbook, pride, or panic buttons. It reveals the only answer for peace, only impetus for joy, the only solution for justice, and the only way to truth – Jesus.