Casandra Martin

“Thanksgiving was never meant to be shut up in a single day.” ~Robert Caspar Lintner

The seasons have already switched. The dishes are barely done. There are still leftovers in the fridge. Kids aren’t back in school yet, but we have moved on. Thanksgiving is over, and the Christmas season has already been launched. Our national attention to gratitude is ushered out by pre-dawn sales and the rush to make the most out of the next holiday.

Don’t let Thanksgiving go so easily. Hold onto the beauty of a day spent resting in your blessings. Hang onto the contentment you felt in the company of family and friends. Soak in the awareness of God’s hand on your life, His grace on your soul, and His love filling your heart.

Too many times, I flip the pages of my calendar and forget that thankfulness is supposed to be the defining characteristic of a life infused with Christ. Thanksgiving helps me see His fingerprints on my days. Gratitude is the best way to experience the fullness of His presence because it makes my heart tender to His nearness and aware of His gentle tug at my soul.

I am good at counting my problems, naming my burdens, grumbling about my grievances, whining about my work, fretting about my family, fuming at my friends, and cataloguing the circumstances that seem to be against me. Thankfulness is the tool God uses to turn me inside out. Joy flows from discovering the reasons to be grateful in the moment I am in. Love breaks through to my heart when I pause and say thanks. Peace moves in when I turn my eyes from my troubles to His tenderness.

My Jesus Resolution today is to stretch Thanksgiving out. I am going to make it a 365 day event. No, there won’t be turkey every day, but there will be gratitude. I want thankfulness to define the way I see my world. I want it to be evident in the way I treat others, the choices I make, the way I speak, and even the way I celebrate the next holiday on the calendar. Thanksgiving was never meant to be confined to a single day. Be full of thanks and let it overflow into every day.

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Families are gathering, seasonings are lined up on the kitchen counter, pie pans are waiting to be filled, and the good dishes are ready to be set on the table. Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and as we prepare for a day set aside to remember and recount our blessings, take a moment to pause and soak in the deep reality of what it means to be thankful.

Being thankful is more than just words that you say. It is a life-defining, eye-opening, soul-expanding, heart-stretching way to live. Thanksgiving is a commitment to live fully and completely in the presence of God. It is a resolution to open our eyes and be alert to the way He moves in and around us. It is a moment in each day when we breathe in and recognize our dependence on the One who gives us life. It propels us into love, helps us stop short in wonder, and invites us into worship.

Thanksgiving is the whisper of a heart touched by grace. It is traced in steps of humility, echoed in songs of praise, revealed in deep surrender, and evident in the way we love, laugh, and reach for His hand.

If people couldn’t hear your words, could they see thanksgiving in your life?

My Jesus Resolution today is to live thanks. President Kennedy is right. Thanksgiving is more than a holiday. It is a habit. I am going to make a point to express my gratitude today, but I am going to be deliberate about living out my thanksgiving each and every day.

The sun was melting behind the trees. The cool evening shadows were pushing us towards home. My little friend and I were packing up and getting ready to leave the park. We had spent the afternoon letting our imaginations take full flight. Dinosaurs had marched through the sand. Boats were launched, mountains climbed, foes defeated, races won, scientific discoveries made, and we swung so high the toes of our shoes almost touched the blue of the sky. Now it was time to go home.

We gathered backpacks, water bottles, jackets, and the puppy and started walking. My mind was already down the road, planning dinner and checking the clock. My little friend, however, wanted to take the long sidewalk. I watched as he zigged and zagged. He paused to pick up an acorn, jump over a crack in the sidewalk, and stop to feel the trunk of a tree. I should have known better, but I said it anyway. “Hurry up. We need to go.”

That is when he ducked under the branches of a small tree. Still completely covered in leaves, the shape of the tree resembled a small umbrella. All I could see was the bottom of his sneakers sticking out from beneath the green canopy. “Hey!” he said. “There is a bird’s nest in here.”

Time froze for a split second as I weighed my options. I could let my rushing ruin the moment, or I could join him under the branches and be a part of the adventure. I scrunched down, entering a whole new world. The air looked different under the tree as sunlight filtered through the leaves. There, near the top, was a beautiful bird’s nest. We talked about who might live there, marveling at the way a little bird family had made its home in this quiet place on a busy path. I left the embrace of the tree branches changed.

Being willing to slow down and look up is an eye-opening, heart-stretching, soul-inspiring way to live.

My Jesus Resolution today is to slow down and look up. Hurry is the enemy of hallelujahs. Impatience robs me of opportunities to praise. Too many times I rush through the pools of refreshment God has put in my path, treating them like puddles to avoid rather than places to pause and breathe in His delight. Today I want to move through my day humbled and hushed, rather than hurried and harried. Wonder and awe begin with a willingness to bow my head, stoop down, and look up.

It was just a regular afternoon in a day of ordinary errands, commonplace chores, and unending piles of laundry. I came in the door with my keys in my hand having just returned from another carpool adventure at the school. My mind was already thinking ahead about how to answer the inevitable “what’s for dinner?” question when I saw her. Standing in the middle of my living room was my daughter from out-of-state. She unexpectedly had a couple of days off and decided a surprise visit home was in order. I squealed. She smiled. And in record time we were hugging and dancing around the room.

We grinned and talked as she poured out her story of making the journey and anticipating the look of surprise on our faces. As she was telling me her tale, my thoughts started going down the list. Were there clean sheets on the bed? Fresh towels in the bath? Had I dusted recently? Did I need to find an extra blanket?

Her sweet surprise and my list of questions turned my thoughts to Jesus. He has made a promise that He is going to keep. There is going to come a day when He arrives unannounced. The day and the time will be a surprise. The question is – will I be ready?

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives.” – 2 Peter 3:10-11

My Jesus Resolution today is to be ready. I can’t wait to see my Redeemer. I long to hear His voice, see His face, and bow at His feet. I look forward to the moment of final transformation as He completes the work He has begun in me. The moment will come as a surprise in the middle of an ordinary, regular, nothing-special kind of day. But knowing that surprise is coming should shape the priorities that fill today, and allow hope and anticipation to bubble under the surface of the laundry, cleaning, deadlines, and bills. What do you need to do to be ready for His surprise?

It was a simple wedding. A young couple learning about Jesus asked the preacher if he would marry them. The reality of grace encouraged the man and woman to make a change in their relationship and commit to each other before God. Just a few close family members came together to witness the moment, including the couple’s two young boys.

The plan was that the preacher would hit the play button on an IPod so that the bride would have a wedding song during her walk down the aisle. The bride adjusted her dress and prepared to take her first steps toward her groom. As she waited for the music to begin, the two little boys stood up on the front pew and began singing “The B-I-B-L-E” at the top of their lungs. Her new mother-in-law joined the chorus, and to the tune of this familiar children’s song, this new couple began their new life together.

It might be just a funny moment if there wasn’t so much wisdom in it. God had His hand on those two little boys at just that moment, guiding them to sing a song that outlined the wisdom on which all relationships need to be built.

The B-I-B-L-E

Oh, that’s the book for me

I stand upon

the Word of God

The B-I-B-L-E

My Jesus Resolution today is to sing The B-I-B-L-E. All of my relationships – my relationship with my spouse, my children, my family, my friends, my church family, my co-workers, my neighbors, and the people I meet in my day – need to find their grounding in the wisdom of God’s Word. His Book teaches me how to love, forgive, listen, and value the people around me. The Bible has the power to reach deep inside me and open my heart to the presence, power, grace, and holiness of God. It gives me the solid guidelines I need to make my relationships ones filled with joy, love, and laughter. Standing on the Word of God will strengthen my marriage, improve my friendships, and guide me as I parent my children. The B-I-B-L-E! Oh, that’s the book for me!

She is almost two years old and cute as a button. Soft curls flip the ends of her blonde hair around her sweet rosy cheeks. She loves Minnie Mouse, mirrors, and her little pink Bible.

Sitting next to each other, her giggles and my smiles filled the moment with precious joy. She was animated and excited about going to Bible class. She saw her teacher enter the room, and almost jumped out of her chair. Mom caught her with a practiced arm, settling her back into place.

Eyeing the room, this little one caught sight of her older sister reading Mom’s Bible. With a delighted expression, my little seatmate grabbed her pink Bible, handed it to me, and said, “Read!” We opened the pages, found a spot, and I asked her, “What does it say? It says ‘Jesus loves me!’” We “read” several sections of the Bible together before she took her Bible, tucked it under her arm, and kneeled down in her chair.

Then came the holy moment. This little angel decided to read the Bible for herself. She carefully opened God’s book, asking herself the question that is the basis for all good Bible study – “What does it say?” With each page, she whispered the answer written in every word – “Jesus loves me!” Satisfied, she bowed her head, and I caught my breath in wonder.

My Jesus Resolution today is to learn the lesson she already has written on her heart. Every page of the Bible, every word, every paragraph, every sentence is infused with one truth – Jesus loves me. Every miracle displays the might of His love. Every commandment searches the depth of His love. Every prophecy stretches out the length of His love. Every story of every person reveals the intimate touch of His love. Today, when I open my Bible, I am going to ask myself, “What does it say?” No matter what page I am on, I know that the answer will be, “Jesus loves me!”

By the time you read this, we will know. Yesterday was Election Day. We took our turns walking into the voting booth and exercising our right to choose our leaders. At the time I am writing this, we still don’t know the name of the man who will serve as our president for the next four years. Yet, even now, we can invest in his future. As the news changes today from election coverage to anticipating what the next four years will bring, we can take our new president before the throne of God and begin the greatest work we can do for him – pray.

Here are ten things for which our president needs you to be praying.

1. Pray for his eyes – that they may be open to the will and purpose of God.

2. Pray for his heart – that he will be a man who openly exercises integrity and lives with honor.

3. Pray for his hands – that the work he does for our nation will bring God glory.

4. Pray for his mind – that he will be a man of wisdom, discernment, and Christ-infused focus.

5. Pray for his knees – that he will soak every decision in prayer.

6. Pray for his mouth – that the words he speaks will be words of truth, courage, righteousness, and love.

7. Pray for his soul – that he will be a man who is lives surrendered to the cross of Christ.

8. Pray for his ears – that he will listen for the voice of God and hear His wisdom.

9. Pray for his shoulders – that he will be able to carry the heavy burden of leadership with resolve, dignity, and strength.

10. Pray for his feet – that he will walk in the way of the Lord and follow in the steps of Jesus.

My Jesus Resolution today is to pray. I am going to commit myself to regularly, persistently, lovingly, hopefully, fervently praying for our president. I can’t stand in the Oval Office, but the One we serve is already there willing to work, move, bless, and guide our nation. I am also going to look in the mirror and pray for my own heart. A blessed nation starts with citizens determined to live out the character of Christ in the hometowns, neighborhoods, workplaces, and streets of this great land. The direction of tomorrow begins with where I am willing to walk and kneel today.

It is election season in our country. Tomorrow, we have the privilege and responsibility of choosing the leaders of our land, shaping the laws that will guide our national interests, and investing ourselves in democracy. It is a right that the world looks at in wonder, and many Americans take for granted. I pray that you will use the opportunity granted to you by the blessing of living in this land to go out and vote.

After months (and months and months) of campaign speeches, debates, news reports, and expert opinions, you get to go into the privacy of the voting booth and make your choice. Selecting the people who will be our leaders is a powerful responsibility. I pray that you have invested yourself in prayer, made room for reflection, and listened carefully as you have made your decision. We will live under the authority of these governing powers for the next four years.

As you ponder the significance of this freedom, ask yourself a couple of questions. Have you invested as much thought in who sits on the throne of your heart as you have in who will sit in the White House? Have you listened as carefully to His promises, considered His track record, and looked as deeply into His character as you have the candidate of your choice? After you finish voting, find another quiet, private place and make another choice. Choose to walk closely with God today. Choose to surrender fully to His will. Choose to celebrate the love He extends. Choose to look like Jesus. Choose God. It’s a choice for life.

My Jesus Resolution today is to vote. I am going to make a deliberate choice for God. I am going to invest myself as deeply in Him as I have the elections that are shaping the world in which I live. God is in control, regardless of who sits in leadership in the state capitol or the White House. Today I choose God. I choose to walk with Him, follow His leadership, respond to His voice, and imitate His Son.

“Prayer and praise are the oars by which a man may row his boat into the deep waters of the knowledge of Christ.” – Charles Spurgeon

Water sports were a given growing up in a land of 10,000 lakes. During the summer months, all kinds of people could be found enjoying the open waters, warm weather, and blue skies. Canoeing was one of my favorites. My initiation into canoeing came at camp. It takes a little bit of coordination and practice to learn how to maneuver through the water with a small boat and a pair of oars, but the benefits of being able to travel across the lake or down the river made it worth the effort.

Picture the middle of the lake on a beautiful day. Out in the center is a canoe with two teenagers, laughing and playing in the boat. Suddenly, one of the teenagers tries to stand up. Big mistake in a canoe. The next thing you see is a splash, a flipped canoe, and two wet heads trying to right the overturned boat. They finally manage to crawl back in the boat (after four tries), and look for the shore. A breeze sends a chill through their wet clothes, helping them make up their minds that it is time to head back in. It is only in the moment when they determine it is time to go that they see the problem. The oars are not in the boat. They are floating away on the gentle ripples of the water. They are stuck out in the middle of the lake, helpless against the tides.

Oars are essential equipment. They allow movement. They propel us forward, help us steer, and keep us going in the right direction. Oars can allow us to swing around obstacles, hold us steady when the current gets rough, and provide stability when the water is choppy. If we want to go, we need to hang onto the oars and use them on our journey.

My Jesus Resolution today is to paddle. I want prayer and praise to be oars that I hang onto with both hands. I want to dip them deeply into the waters of His grace and let them move me closer to His heart. Paddling with just one oar often means rowing in circles. I need both oars, so God can propel me deeper into His presence and His plan for my heart.

Later today, the doorbell will ring. Children will line up for trick or treats, each wearing a costume designed to inspire dreams or nightmares. Some will choose the wistfulness of fantasy – princesses, pirates, and animated characters will come to life right before my eyes. Other children will choose to explore the possibilities of the future – doctors, construction workers, and future presidents will knock on my door. There will be a few that seek to scare me by conjuring up frightful images of ghosts, goblins, and zombies.

No matter which costume they choose, almost every child will wear some kind of mask. On Halloween, a mask lets a little one pretend they are someone else. They allow them to try on someone new, stretching imaginations and playing in the realm of possibility. Tomorrow, their masks will come off and the kids will be themselves again.

The truth is I wear masks all the time. Not fun, fanciful, or frightening masks. These masks are intended to be hiding places for my true self. There is the ‘sure-I’m-fine’ mask, the ‘I’ve-got-it-all-together’ mask, the ‘super-mom’ mask, the ‘I’m caring and concerned’ mask, and the ‘good Christian’ mask. I pull the mask down over my authentic self to cover the weariness, doubt, apathy, exhaustion, struggling reality of my heart. I convince myself that you would rather see the mask than the mess I really am.

Jesus never wore a mask. His authenticity is one of His gifts to us. When we see Jesus, we see the Father. Nothing fake. Just genuine love and honest-to-goodness grace.

My Jesus Resolution today is to set down my mask. Learning to look like Jesus isn’t about putting up a fake front that hides my sinful self. It is about living in a transformation that is changing the identity of my soul. It is about learning to be the real me God has always longed for me to be. On the way, some of my ugliness is going to show. But what is going to be most visible is the beauty of a Savior who is loving, leading, changing, forgiving, and blessing me with Himself. Today, I am going to leave the costumes to the kids and laugh with them as they smile and giggle. My treat will be God’s delight as I set my masks down and embrace the image of His Son.