Casandra Martin

I stood by the closet door shaking my head. The pile of laundry in the closet stared back at me. Pants, socks, and shirts lay wadded together in a mess. I went to go find my son.

Earlier in the day, I asked my son to bring his laundry downstairs. I waited, and no dirty clothes appeared. Meager piles of darks and lights lay on the floor. I was sure there were companions hiding upstairs in the closet.

My son assured me that he had no laundry. Not one dirty sock? No stained shirt, slept-in pajamas, or stinky shorts? No, he assured me. It was all clean.

I rolled my eyes, knowing better. I had actually seen him wear clothes over the last three days, so I knew that some things had to be less than pristine. That is when I opened the closet door, and found myself staring at a picture of my heart.

The pile of laundry reminded me of the heap of sin I let accumulate in my soul. How many times do I try to convince God that I have no messes? I try to shove it behind the door, and pretend it doesn’t exist. Maybe I acknowledge a little bit of the dirt, but minimize its significance or the extent of the stain. I attempt to organize the mess, make the guilt and shame look presentable, and let the pile grow in the background.

Jesus knows better. He invites us to bring Him our deep stains and sinful stench. He is willing to make everything new, clean, whole, and fresh. His blood is the cleansing agent that has the power to remove every trace of sin.

My Jesus Resolution today is to bring Jesus my dirty laundry – all of it. Jesus wants to wash every part of me in His blood. He longs to replace my soiled, stained clothing with garments of grace. He wants to trade the stink of sin for the aroma of His presence. But I have to bring it to Him. I have to put it in His hands. When I do, He will go to work, transforming my pile of stains into opportunities for praise and thanksgiving.

One of the most specific goals that we have as parents is to raise servants. It is our deep desire that our children learn the beauty, sacrifice, obedience, blessing, and joy of what it means to imitate the One who came to reveal the servant-heart of God.

This week I realized that we may have missed an important piece in the process of helping to shape servant-hearts.

When talking about service, there are always two sides to the coin – there is the one who offers the service and the one who receives the service. Jesus knew how to do both well. He didn’t come to be served, but He graciously received the service of others. He ate meals cooked for Him, accepted gifts given to Him, and allowed others to meet His needs. Tears washed His feet, perfume scenting His spot at the table as He opened Himself up to be cried upon and cared for.

Perhaps part of the key to being a servant is knowing how to graciously receive service. Jesus always accepted these heart gifts with gentleness and transparency. He never pouted about sitting at the table, rather than being in the kitchen. He didn’t shoo people away, mumbling that He could handle it Himself. Thankfulness defined His heart as He acknowledged the God-movement behind the acts of service offered to Him.

Most of us are comfortable being on the giving side of service. It is the receiving end that gives us trouble. We are uncomfortable with being served. We don’t like others seeing us in anything but a position of control and responsibility. We dismiss opportunities to be dependent, vulnerable, or transparent. It takes humility and grace to receive the blessing of service. Perhaps learning how to receive service would make us better servants.

My Jesus Resolution today is to imitate Jesus in the way He accepted the service of others. His gentle example of how to be on the receiving end of service is a quiet thread that runs through the Gospels. Learning the grace of receiving service has the power to open my eyes and soften my heart. I treat others differently when I take turns standing in their shoes. If I am going to raise servants, I need to teach them the blessing of looking like Jesus no matter which side of service they find themselves on.

“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” – Psalm 118:24

It is Monday morning. We can frown at that statement, look at the week’s long-to-do list, put our heads down, and hope for Friday. Or we can see this day for what it truly is – a gift from God. Today is a chance to start the week with praise. You have a chance to meet this week with your eyes open to His presence and your heart ready for His grace.

Here are ten reasons to smile on a Monday.

1. Jesus loves you – without limit, without condition, without end.

2. You are forgiven, new, clean, and whole – right now – because of the blood of Jesus.

3. You will meet God today. Keep your eyes open!

4. The cross has the power to take what is ugly and broken and make it beautiful.

5. Prayer works. It unleashes heaven’s glory into your circumstances and your heart.

6. The tomb is still empty.

7. Transformation is always possible.

8. Heaven is real.

9. God is present, in control, and at work all around you.

10. All of God’s promises find their “YES!” in Jesus.

My Jesus Resolution today is to smile – all day, every chance I get. The world may complain about the fact that it is Monday, but God has made this a day for rejoicing. Look at what God has already poured into this day – irresistible love, amazing grace, unlimited power, infinite possibilities, and reassuring presence – and it is only Monday! If the week starts off this way, imagine what tomorrow is going to bring! Smile!!

We sat in the airport in the wee hours of the morning. His flight had been delayed. We anxiously checked our phones waiting for word that he was finally home.

Our son has been gone for several months. Blessed with the opportunity to study abroad, he soaked in all of the lessons that come from seeing life from a different perspective. Language, history, art, and economics all took on richer, deeper hues as he experienced life outside of his comfort zone. Through it all, he met God around every turn. He saw Him in the haunted hunger of desperate refugees, felt Him in the zeal of persecuted Christians,  heard Him in hymns sung in a foreign tongue, and experienced His Oneness as he gathered around the communion table with brothers and sisters from other lands.

Through all of these moments, one thing permeated his trip. Coming home day. The truth that this was temporary, a reality to be explored and enjoyed for a short time, shaped every step he took. He slept, ate, played, learned, grew, loved, enjoyed, and experienced everything life offered there, but he always knew home was somewhere else.

C.S. Lewis once said, “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”

My Jesus Resolution today is to remember that I am made for another world. As the song says, “This world is not my home. I’m just a passin’ through.” I want to soak in all of the blessings and lessons that God has for me in this place. I long to see Him around every corner and meet Him in the people and experiences He plants in my way. I also want to remember that, as wonderful, startling, amazing, and beautiful as this all is, it is all temporary. Coming home day is coming. I am going to let that truth set my perspective, priorities, and purpose. I belong in another world, and I can’t wait to go home.

She had tears in her eyes. The last few months have been difficult ones. Changes within the inevitable ebb and flow of life have left her struggling and feeling alone. In the middle of a crowded room, she held my hands and poured out the ache of loneliness that seems to be swallowing her heart. People swirled around us, not recognizing the hungering need for friendship reflected in her eyes.

Loneliness hurts. It makes our hearts squeeze small, and amplifies the echo in our souls. Loneliness has the power to twist our perspective, rub against our joy, and rob us of our confidence. We all struggle with it. Every person you meet today has been touched by it. Some have deep scars. Others are wrestling in its grip right now. Each of us knows its pain.

Satan tries to tell us that we are alone in our aloneness. He says that our loneliness is a fault, a character flaw, a result of our unworthiness, and something about which we should be ashamed. If we were – prettier, smarter, thinner, wealthier, funnier, more educated, more successful, less successful, holier, wiser – something other than who we are, we wouldn’t be lonely. But remember who is talking. (John 8:44)

God said that it is not good for man to be alone. Loneliness is not a mark of shame, but a signpost of the intent of our Maker. We have been created in His image, and that image reflects the truth that our God is a God of community and connection. One of the most foundational promises that He gives us is His assurance that He “will never leave you or forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5) A great cloud of witnesses also surrounds us, reminding us that we are not alone in the battle against loneliness. Elijah tried to throw in the towel because of it. David cried out in painful song because of it. Jesus struggled in the garden because of it.

My Jesus Resolution today is to ask God to open my eyes to loneliness – my own and someone else’s. My tendency is to wall off my loneliness and hide behind a façade of having-it-all-together. Instead, I am going to ask God to inhabit my loneliness, making me more aware of His presence, and helping me see past the boundaries I set up to protect my heart. I want to recognize the familiar ache in someone else’s eyes and respond with gentleness. Loneliness is real, but it doesn’t have to define our reality. God is here. So am I.

“You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” – 1 Peter 2:5

We live in a world that seems to thrive on change. Whatever is new makes the headlines. Whatever is the latest is pronounced the greatest. Bigger, newer, faster, and shinier grabs our attention and invites us into a dizzying world without anchors or foundation.

While some things may work best guided by innovation and invention, our souls were meant for the permanence of His presence. Peter uses an amazing picture to describe what Christ wants to build in our lives. He calls us Living Stones. Connected to the Cornerstone of the cross, we are being built together to rise as a spiritual house for His name. Slowly and surely, He is transforming us for His glory.

The world, however, constantly tugs at us to choose slick over solid, fashionable over faithful, and convenience over commitment. Every day, we have to choose whether to move according to the rhythm of His grace or to follow the beat of the world’s drums.

Growing a Living Stone kind of faith doesn’t happen by accident. We don’t stumble into spiritual growth by chance. This kind of rock-solid faith is built when we make deliberate moves toward Christlikeness. Transformation begins with allowing God to reset our priorities, realign our attitudes, and restore our sense of wonder. He promises to teach us how to live with Living Stone faith in a world that has decided that a veneer of godliness is good enough.

My Jesus Resolution today is to sit on a rock. I want to see myself in its shape and understand how God wants to form my faith. I am not meant to live a spun-around, disoriented, dizzied, unsettled kind of life. God gives me peace that is grounded in the certainty of His nearness, joy anchored in the surety of His faithfulness, and hope fixed in the power of His unfailing love.

I am excited to tell you that my newest Women Opening the Word Bible study is now available. Living Stones encourages us to dive deeply into the spiritual practices that build vibrant, rock-solid faith. Explore what it means to be a Living Stone and how God wants to fill you with Himself. Check out the WOW Books section of my website – http://casandramartin.com – for more information!

More lessons from camp. Another dirty foot. More tears rolling down sun-kissed cheeks. This time the culprit was a splinter. The thin fragment of wood jabbed its way into her foot, disrupting more than her skip. It punctured her smile and deflated her happy spirit.

I cleaned off her foot and sat down to take a good look. It was a dandy of a splinter. I got out the tweezers and told her what I was going to need to do to remove it. Her eyes asked a thousand questions as the possibilities unfolded themselves in her mind. The splinter hurt, but would removing it hurt more? Was it worth it? Could we just leave it alone? Maybe it wasn’t so bad.

Her face reflected the one I too often see in the mirror. I have splinters all the time. Pieces of pride, slivers of selfishness, and splinters of sin embed themselves in my heart. They hurt, wounding my peace, disrupting my joy, causing me to limp into the presence of Jesus. He looks at what pierces my soul and tells me what needs to be done to make me whole again. And my eyes ask the same questions as the young girl with her foot in my lap. I weigh the familiar pain against the transformation He offers.

I tell the girl that we need to get the splinter out. Left in her foot, it will fester and become infected. A couple of minutes of discomfort now will send her on her way to being able to run, jump, and play. If we don’t take care of it today, things will be harder tomorrow.

She slowly nods okay. We tell stories and talk about our favorite things. Before she knows it, the splinter is laying in my hand. She picks it up and marvels at its size. The pain is forgotten. The fear left far behind. Courage produces confidence, and trust unfolds into transformation.

My Jesus Resolution today is to be brave about facing my splinters. They need to come out. Pretending they aren’t really there leaves festering sores in my soul. They need His touch and the cleansing power of His blood. Sometimes I am afraid of what transformation will require, but doing nothing will leave me wounded and unable to walk where He wants to lead me. So today I am going to take a deep breath, nod okay, and let Him work on my heart.

It was a small scrape, but you wouldn’t know it from the big tears running down her cheeks. She held tightly to her counselor’s hand as she walked into where I was working at camp. Through muffled sobs, she explained how she had been playing and ran through a rough spot in her flip-flops. Her foot hurt. Would I take a look?

Sitting her in a chair, I lifted her foot into my lap. I couldn’t see the scrape because her feet were filthy. Dirt, sweat, grass, and sand were adhered to the bottom of her little feet. I was going to have to clean through the mess in order to see what was hurting.

I got some warm water and a wash cloth. I knelt down and gently started washing the grime from her feet. I had to scrub her heels where the dirt was ground into the skin. The cloth moved between her toes as the water became muddy. Drying her feet, I was humbled by the holiness that filled the moment.

Jesus did this. He washed the dirty feet of disciples who argued about greatness before the Son of God. He does this for me. He tenderly scrubs away the residue of my playing in the world. Holy hands holding dirty feet.

The most humbling aspect of this moment, however, came from watching the little girl. She came in frightened, nervous, and tearful. Washing her feet did more than clean the dirt off of her body. It changed her heart. She relaxed. Laughter and giggles replaced tears and frowns. She talked, opening her heart and trusting me with her story. Some warm water, a Band-Aid, and a hug later, she walked away confident, joyful, and at peace. Jesus does this for me too.

My Jesus Resolution today is to look at my toes and see Jesus’ hands. He doesn’t shy away from my mess or wrinkle His nose at the stink that sticks to my skin. He washes me clean, makes me new, heals what is hurting, and does so with love and tenderness. In the washing, I am changed. My feet and my heart are connected. That is the lesson I want to remember. It is the truth embedded in Jesus’ words in John 13:14. “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.”

You don’t have to be a crime buff to know what evidence is. Evidence is proof that someone has been there, that movement has occurred, that things are different, and that moment has been redefined. Evidence is the trail of clues that point to the truth that something has happened that gives tomorrow a different flavor than today.

“When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.” – Acts 11:23

At the request of the church in Jerusalem, Barnabas travels to Antioch. He arrives in the city and sees the evidence of the grace of God written large upon the hearts of the Christians there. So powerful was grace’s trail through their lives that Barnabas’ heart filled with joy.

What does that kind of evidence look like? Can others see evidence of God’s grace spread thick across my life?

Crime shows have trained us to expect the most microscopic clues to reveal the truth. But God doesn’t want the evidence of His presence in our lives to be hidden, small, or unobservable. He longs for His grace to be written so large across our lives that others can tell in an instant that Jesus walks in our words, actions, motives, choices, and relationships.

My Jesus Resolution today is to examine the evidence of His grace in my life. Evidence demands a verdict. It requires those who see it to make a determination about its source, cause, and consequence. I am God’s evidence. Every day, my life should testify to the stunning grace of the cross, the unequaled power of the resurrection, and the intimate pursuit of a Savior who longs to draw me close to His heart. Is the evidence of His gracious presence visible enough to help someone reach a verdict for Jesus?

Little boys are the greatest. Sitting at dinner the other night, this little guy engaged in the conversation around him while investigating all the things that boys need to pay attention to – counting the number of times someone said a specific word, noticing the way hair grows from another’s body parts, and exploring the way his ears fold around his head.

“I love having flexible ears,” he said with delight.

In the middle of a giggle, I saw the profound wisdom in his words. We all need flexible ears – ears that are ready, willing, open, and expecting to hear to the voice of God.

Flexible ears help our spirits be responsive.

Flexible ears showcase hearts that are ready to be shaped.

Flexible ears help our eyes to be open.

Flexible ears encourage us to extend our hands to the needy.

Flexible ears fix our attention and ignite our anticipation of His presence.

Flexible ears help us slow down and settle into sacred stillness.

My Jesus Resolution today is to have flexible ears. Too often, I get set in my own ways, thinking I already know the answers, have already absorbed the wisdom, or am above this particular lesson. Flexible ears encourage me to listen anew every time God’s Word is opened. His voice has the power to reach deep inside me and touch the core of who I am. When my ears are flexible, it gives Him greater access to my heart.