Casandra Martin

We are people bound by time. We can’t escape it. It permeates our perspective, priorities, and perceptions. Sometimes, time “flies.” Other occasions seem to exaggerate the ticking of the clock. The years with our children go by very quickly even as days filled with homework, little sleep, practices, and toys find us watching for bed time to arrive.

God exists outside of time. He created it and uses it for His purposes. Because God is not bound by time, His perspective is different than ours. He works in time for our good. From my viewpoint, it often seems that God is moving too slowly. I want an answer, some intervention, a little miracle, a great measure of peace, a dose of grace, or a big bunch of patience right now!

This weekend I heard someone say – “God is right on time, every time, all the time.” It was a truth of which I needed to be reminded. I get frustrated by time, defined by time, measured by time, and even ruled by time. Yet, time is held in the hands of God. He will use time as a blessing in our lives to draw us closer to Himself. God handles time according to the nature of His heart – with justice, goodness, truth, and love. Whatever our perspective may be, God is right on time, every time, all the time.

My Jesus Resolution today is to trust God timing. Jesus rested in God’s timing completely. He moved according to His will and walked in the timing of His purpose. God works in time for my good. No matter what today brings, God is never impatient, never restricted by the clock, and never late. He is always right on time.

I’m starving. My tummy is rumbling, and I want something to eat. My eyes slip off the work in front of me and glance toward the kitchen. The growling I hear compels me to look for something to satisfy my hunger. Blessed by abundance, I head to the pantry to find something to fill the emptiness inside of me.

Everything about our physical bodies is fearfully and wonderfully made. There are many sources of wonder to be found in the complex systems God has designed to help us live life. The digestive system alone is a miracle. Each part of our physical lives is meant to point us to the Creator. They are designed with delight, infused with His power, and display His wisdom and glory. The body, however, is not an end in itself. The body echoes the soul.

The physical is always meant to point us to the richer spiritual world in which we are called to live. Physical hunger invites us to satisfy our souls by feasting on the sweeter-than-honey words of God. Thirst calls us to the Living Water. Stress challenges our hearts to discover the peace found only in His love. Exhaustion directs our hearts to His rest. Pain is best managed by the balm of His presence.

This is why fasting – whether from food, television, music, coffee, soda, the computer, or a particular activity – is such a vital spiritual discipline. Fasting trains the heart to see beyond the physical to the reality of the spiritual. It allows our hunger for things of the world to be channeled into a hunger for the heart of God. It puts the physical in its proper place – as a tool to make our hearts more aware of our need for Him.

My Jesus Resolution today is to let my physical hunger pull my eyes to God. Each time my tummy growls, I am going to stop and satisfy myself first with His love. I am going to let His presence be the sweetest thing I enjoy today. God tells us to “taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psalm 34:8). I know whatever He has in store for me today will be delicious.

My walk this morning was quieter and a little lonely. My dog died this week. It was sudden and unexpected. We are heartbroken, yet thankful.

God used Shelby in so many ways to teach us about His heart. A dog’s unconditional love, delight in your presence, and simple nearness hold echoes of God. She helped heal a little boy’s fear, provided companionship, and made us feel safe. She exemplified gratitude, loyalty, and trust. She was a dog we rescued from a shelter. She reminded us of the power of redemption. The lessons God planted in our time with Shelby were meant to turn our hearts to the Lord.

God has always used animals to point people to His presence and purpose. God sent Balaam a donkey to help him learn to listen to the Lord. He used lions to show Daniel and Darius His power. Jonah tells us of lessons learned within a great fish. Jesus uses sparrows to remind us of God’s immense love and care. So it comes as no surprise today to think of all the ways that God used a dog to bring the reality of His presence into our family.

My Jesus Resolution today is to not underestimate the ways God is speaking to me. He is always calling to our hearts. Sometimes He uses a wagging tail.

I just got back from a week at camp. Each year I go to cook for a beginner’s camp. I make hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, and ice cream sandwiches and get to be the mess hall hero for a group of kids who have come to camp to meet Jesus.

Camp is a special place. I go there to serve and to connect, but mostly, I go to camp to see God. I am not sure what it is about being there that opens my eyes so wide to His movement, but I see Him more clearly there than just about anywhere else.

This year He showed up everywhere. I saw Him in the teens that take a week of their summer and give it to look like Jesus for younger kids. Every night they talked about where they had seen God during the day, the lessons they had learned in unexpected places, and their desire to serve with bigger hearts. I saw Him in the kids who ran, laughed, played, and absorbed words about God like a sponge. I saw Him in adults who spent their days fixing toilets, putting on band-aids, hauling water, and blowing whistles in order for others to see Jesus. God worked in the weather, in manila envelopes, and frozen biscuits. I spent the whole week smiling because everywhere I turned, God was there.

My Jesus Resolution today is to walk through this week with eyes as wide open as at camp. I know He is here just as much as there. He works in every one of my days to bring me closer to His heart. I am going to look for Him in the people that surround me, in the laughter and tears that ring through my house, and in both the freezer and the laundry. Today I may not be at camp, but I still want to see God.

I got to ride in the car with a toddler this week. I had forgotten how special those times in the seats can be. He demanded an ongoing conversation. He wanted to comment on everything, ask about whatever came to his mind, and look in wonder at dump trucks, school buses, and helicopters. Usually, driving my car is about getting from point A to point B. I turn on some music, put the car in drive, and focus on reaching my destination. My little friend’s joy came from enjoying the journey. We sang the traffic light song at every light. We squealed with delight looking for cherry pickers. We counted dump trucks traveling down the road and wondered where they might be headed. The drive became an adventure because he challenged me to pay attention.

How often do we live in auto-pilot? Going through our routines, walking through our days focused on getting to the next place and crossing the next thing off the list. How much beauty, wonder, and just plain fun do we miss because we don’t really stop to pay attention? Jesus challenges us to do just that – slow down and look. See His fingerprints on the world around us and catch our breath in wonder. Enjoy the moment because this is where God is present.

My Jesus Resolution today is to slow down and enjoy the ride. I am going to pay attention, really pay attention, to the ways God is making Himself known all around me. I want to look for beauty, watch for wonder, and find joy in the journey. His fingerprints are can be found in every moment. Each one reveals His deep love and His plan to bring me home. God has an adventure planned for me today. I am looking forward to the drive.

The way we face disappointment says a great deal about our faith. We all deal with disappointment. Things just don’t always go our way. We have hopes and dreams that die on the vine. We get impatient about timing, feel anxious about the way things are unfolding, and, at times, watch as others live the lives we thought we were meant to live.

In those moments when disappointment defines our hearts, we have an opportunity. How we deal with disappointment depends in great measure on what we understand about the heart of God. It is easy in times of disappointment to blame God. Why didn’t He deliver? Doesn’t He care? Why did He let this happen to me?

God wants us to use moments of disappointment to realign our hearts with His heart. The truths we know about the heart of God have the power to put boundaries and perspective around our disappointments. God is always good. What He does or does not do on our behalves will always be His very best. God’s timing is always perfect. The “when” that I worry about so much is completely in His control. He will always move at precisely the right moment and in exactly the right way. God’s faithfulness is always sure. I can trust my heart to His loving care.

My Jesus Resolution today is to let God shape my disappointments. I am not going to let my disappointments define my view of God. Instead, I am going to look for His fingerprints and search for His movement. I am going to trust His goodness, rest in His timing, and depend on His faithfulness. I am going to step back from the disappointment and step into the arms of God. He will never let me down.

I just finished a new quilt. I put the final stitches in, pulled the basting threads, and spread it out on the floor to admire it. It is so neat to see how pieces of fabric, batting, and thread come together to create something beautiful. On their own, each piece of the quilt looks insignificant. Most are small. They are cut at funny angles. Crooked edges are mixed in with straight ones. Some of the pieces are brightly colored and eye-catching. Many are in ordinary, nothing-special hues. But put them together, use a needle and thread, invest some time, and the results are extraordinary.

One of the reasons I love quilts is because they are a reminder for me of the way God is working in my life. Our days, our choices, our relationships, and our surrender are the pieces of fabric. Occasionally, there is a spectacular one, but most are ordinary by themselves. We look at our days, like them, but don’t always see their beauty. Only when they come together in the pattern God is working into our lives can we stand back and catch our breath in wonder.

Quilting requires dealing with knots, untangling thread, stretching the fabric in a frame, and using scissors. The struggles, stresses, knots, and tangles of our days are a part of our quilt. Each one is part of the process of putting together something beautiful. Each marks a moment when God is working His grace into the fabric of our lives.

Quilts tell a story. Each one is unique. Every quilt bears the mark of the person who held it in their hands. Time, energy, creativity, and love are woven into its design. No one makes a quilt by accident. God is using every piece of your life to make something that will reflect His beauty. He is using the pattern of His own heart to take the ordinary, average pieces of our days and turn them into something that will help the world see Jesus.

My Jesus Resolution today is to open my eyes to the way God is putting the pieces of my heart together for His glory. He is going to use each piece, each experience, each surrender, each prayer, each moment spent in service, each sacrifice, and each person who touches my day to imprint His pattern deep into my quilt. There will be knots to untangle, stretching to do, and needles to thread, but each moment rests in the hands of the Master Quilter.

Our lives are filled with thousands of choices. Some are simple – what shampoo to use, what’s for dinner. Some are complex – where we will invest our hearts, the decision to have children. Our most profound choice, however, is whether we will accept the invitation of God. We, who don’t get to decide about tomorrow’s weather, are given the opportunity to choose where we will spend eternity. The invitation is extended to every person – regardless of race, background, wealth, or gender. And only you can decide for you – you can’t choose for your spouse, children, or co-workers. It’s your choice and yours alone.

It is interesting in our pro-choice society that there is so much pressure not to choose anything related to the soul. The world would like you to think that everything is gray; that there is no longer black or white, dark or light. And Satan is laughing because, once again, he has managed to steal the invitation from the heart of man – the same one he stole in the garden…

As the account of creation unfolds in Genesis 1-3, we see with joy that the most important provision the Lord makes for Adam and Eve in the garden is the gift of Himself. They had an intimate relationship with God as they walked and talked with Him. Yet, despite this gift, we all know how the story unfolds – the command not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, the temptation of the dangling fruit, the lie that there was something sweeter than the presence of God. And the choice was made.

Heaven and hell held its breath as Eve reached for the fruit on the tree. With the first bite, those in hell cheered and, in heaven, God’s heart broke. Yet, even as He drove Adam and Eve from the garden, the promise of a way back formed on His lips. Barely had the fruit’s juice run down their chins; barely had Satan’s cackle quieted, before God announced the plan to redeem His children – Jesus.

My Jesus Resolution today is to deliberately choose Jesus. Everyday I face the same choice that Adam and Eve faced in the garden. Satan’s offer echoes through our society – “Have it your way.”, “You only go around once.”, “I deserve it.”, “Whatever.” Jesus quietly invites me closer to His heart – “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:26) Today I am going to choose Jesus. What about you? The choice is yours.

Someone I love has been touched by identity theft. A routine check revealed that someone had invaded my daughter’s privacy and is using her personal information. In a single moment, her name was being used, her integrity questioned, and her sense of security shaken. We were blessed. There hasn’t been a lot of damage done. No money is missing. We are following law enforcement procedures, wading through the paperwork to set things right.

Nothing is more central to how we walk through our days than our identity. It defines us, guides us, sets our priorities, and shapes our days. Our identity is at the core of who we are and is the lens through which we see and interact with the world. Being a Christian means, at its heart, that our identity is defined by Jesus. He names us, claims us as His own, purchases our freedom, and calls us His children. Our identity is rooted in the cross, empowered by His blood, and defined by His love. It shapes our perspective and gives us new eyes.

Satan is the ultimate identity thief. He wants us to question who we are, doubt where we belong, and fear the One who calls us His own. His greatest desire is for us to take on one of the many identities offered by the world – to define ourselves by power, money, education, or beauty. Anything but God. He pulls at our hearts and tries to strip away the confidence we have in wearing the name of Jesus.

Our daughter is learning the necessity of protecting her identity. We need to learn to do the same.

My Jesus Resolution today is to be vigilant about protecting, guarding, and living within the identity I have in Jesus. I am not going to let thieves tear me away from the purpose God is working out in my life. I am going to safeguard my soul from those thieves trying to sneak in to steal my joy, confidence, and peace. To protect my identity, I am going to keep myself rooted in the cross, define my heart by His character, and keep my eyes open for His presence. I am a Christian – God’s beloved. Nobody can steal that from me.