Casandra Martin

It was just a silly name, but I was having trouble saying it. My four-year-old buddy was trying to be patient while I learned. He would say the name and wait for me to echo it back to him. Finally, I did it right. He got a surprised look on his face, announcing, “You said it right!” “Thanks!” I said. “You are a good teacher.”

That surprised him even more. A confused look clouded up his little eyes. “I’m not a teacher,” he said. “Sure you are. You teach me about God and Jesus every day.” It took a little convincing, but he finally captured the idea that he could be my teacher. He liked the thought enough to begin making plans to tell me the story of Daniel and the Lions’ Den.

Are you a teacher? The answer is yes. Every day you have the opportunity to show someone the heart of Jesus. Your neighbors watch your priorities. Your family sees how you handle joy and sorrow, failure and success. The clerk at the grocery store observes how you interact with those who are slow, sloppy, or selfish. Your coworkers look at your efforts and relationships and learn lessons about the living out the purpose of God in life.

You may not think of yourself as a teacher. You may not even want to be a teacher. But the truth is that every day you are teaching someone something. Our task is to be deliberate about the lessons we teach. You may be the only Bible somebody reads today. What will they remember about Jesus because of you?

My Jesus Resolution today is to make a lesson plan. I am going to be aware of the truth that each moment holds an opportunity to show Jesus to someone. It may be in the way I handle a struggle, a special moment, a sin, or a surprise. I want to make sure they learn something about Jesus as they watch me. Something about grace, about joy, about faithfulness, or about love. The reality is that I am a teacher. I resolve to be a teacher who points others to Jesus.

Last Friday, a massive earthquake measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale rocked Japan. It triggered a tsunami whose effects were felt all the way across the Pacific Ocean in California. Thousands are missing, entire towns are now nothing but rubble, and Japan sits on the edge of nuclear disaster. It is a natural catastrophe of epic proportions. Its impact will be felt for years to come.

The earthquake struck at about two p.m. in the afternoon in Japan. That morning had been a regular morning for millions. They got up, went to work, talked to friends, made plans for the weekend, and thought that it was just going to be a regular day. Then the earth shifted, and life will never be the same.

We live in an unstable world. We get up in the morning with plans, priorities, dreams, and to-do lists, thinking that today is going to be just an ordinary day. Then the earth shifts. We pick up the phone, find the note on the counter, are handed a pink slip, receive the test result, hear the squeal of brakes, discover a lump, or open the mail. What seemed like an ordinary day just moments ago is shaken to its core. Our foundations shift, our eyes see differently, our priorities are realigned, and our hearts seem to beat to a different rhythm. It is an 8.9 on the reality scale, and life will never be the same.

Earthquakes, the physical ones that rocked Japan or the emotional ones that sneak into our worlds, don’t take God by surprise. He wants us to build our lives on the firm foundation of His love, the surety of His grace, and the rock-solid footing of His faithfulness. Faith won’t stop the earthquakes, but it will provide the security we need to deal with the disasters that hit us hard. It will give us a place to stand when things get shaky and unstable. He will hold us together when the rest of the world is falling apart.

My Jesus Resolution today is to remember that God is my Rock. My world may shift under my feet, but Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is unchanging in an ever-changing world. If everything else in my life falls apart, walks away, burns up, and disintegrates, God will still be there. He will still be there loving me, forgiving me, and transforming me. The earthquake may be an 8.9, but God will always be a perfect 10.

“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!” – I Kings 8:27

It was a play day at our house. The trucks were racing around the living room, balls were bouncing, and the dinosaurs were roaring. The boys were hunkered down on the floor examining the dinosaurs in fine detail. My son was teaching our little friend the names of all the different dinosaurs, throwing in interesting facts about size, food preferences, and roaring decibels.

A squeal of excitement spiraled through the air as our little friend came racing into the kitchen. “You are not going to believe this!” he exclaimed. “A T-Rex is bigger than a church building!” This was gigantic news. His eyes were big as his imagination stretched the proportions of the dinosaur to fit his newly discovered bigger-than-a-church-building picture. He then reported on the next type of dinosaur, also reportedly bigger than a church building. Dinosaurs make for an exciting world.

Tapping into his enthusiasm, I told him how cool it was that dinosaurs were bigger than a church building. I then explained that God was even bigger than a dinosaur. He stopped in his tracks, contemplating this latest piece of news. His eyes got huge as he processed that God was bigger than the biggest thing he could imagine. “God is bigger than a church building?” he asked. I paused as I considered the multiple layers of truth in that statement. “Yes,” I said. “God is bigger than a church building.”

Once again God used a little heart to teach me a big truth. How many times do I limit God to the boundaries of four walls, a roof, and a couple of hallways? We glorify Him in the pews, but fail to see Him in the panorama of everyday life. We read about Him in the Bible, but don’t listen to His voice in the rhythm of our hours. We seek His face in worship, but forget to look for His fingerprints touching the pages of our stories.

My Jesus Resolution today is to have eyes like my little friend. I want to my eyes to grow like saucers, my jaw to drop, and my imagination to stretch as I contemplate how big God really is. I am going to picture the biggest thing I can imagine, and think about the truth that God is bigger. I am going to stand in wonder, and then race to share the good news with someone else. God is bigger than a church building, and that makes for an exciting world.

I like my comfort zone. My comfort zone is a well-defined space in which I order my time, my stuff, my relationships, and my purpose. My comfort zone makes me feel in control. When things are humming along within the confines of my comfort zone, I know what to expect and feel like I am on top of things. I like my comfort zone. It defines me, and keeps me from taking too many risks, opening too many doors, or taking too many steps outside of my usual path.

We are creatures of habit. Creating comfort zones allows us to order our worlds and feel like we are in control. The reality is that our comfort zones are illusions. The weather changes, the phone rings, the mail arrives, the doctor comes in, or the pink slip lands on our desks and suddenly our comfort zones are shattered. Our foundations shift and the world doesn’t feel stable or secure any more.

Sometimes God calls us out of our comfort zones. He challenges us to see with different eyes, walk a new path, take a leap of faith, or travel deeper into transformation. We stand at a crossroad with the outstretched hand of God on one side and our comfort zones lying enticingly on the other side.

Walking out of our comfort zones means letting God take the lead and redefine the rhythm of our lives. It means making His heart our stronghold and His grace our sure foundation. It means ordering our world around the cross and resting in the certainty that it will outlast any storm and empower any surrender. God doesn’t want us to create our own comfort zones. He wants to be our comfort zone.

My Jesus Resolution today is to let God have control of my comfort zone. I am going to build my world around His presence. I am going to let His love define the boundaries of my heart. I am going to ask Him to open my eyes to the things I tend to turn to for comfort when I should be turning to Him. When the world shakes me up, I am going to hang on to my Rock. When He calls me to walk in a new direction, I am going to hold His hand, knowing that His presence will provide all the comfort I will need.

“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’” – Matthew 25:21

We all need to hear it. Affirming words are a tonic for the heart. They have the power to reignite passion, fine tune perspective, and deepen connection. When we make the deliberate move to speak affirming words to one another, we are helping to cement the transformation we see God working in our lives.

Affirmation makes the choice to speak to someone’s heart. It shines a light on what is true and right in their lives. It upholds the standard of Jesus and celebrates how He is making a difference in the everyday moments. Affirming words help uphold the new growth, true beauty, or deep commitment you see taking shape in someone’s life. It is a powerful gift.

Affirming words are not drippy compliments fixed in a motive to get ahead or be viewed favorably. Affirmation is a sacrifice. It requires time to see and observe the movement of God in another’s life. It demands transparency and vulnerability as we plant blessing, encouragement, honor, and truth in someone’s heart. It means we must stop in the middle of busy lives, pressured schedules, and urgent demands and do the slow, quiet work of confirming God’s goodness and the power of His grace in the life of someone else. It is an investment of the heart that reaps its rewards in courage, confidence, and surety of purpose.

My Jesus Resolution today is to be an affirmer. I am going to take the opportunity today to point out the good God is doing in someone’s life. I am going to cheer when I see courage. I am going to applaud when I see new growth. I am going to wrap my arms around the heart of a friend and tell them that they look like Jesus. I am going to celebrate the small moves toward maturity that I see in my children, and not be shy about telling another that they have done a good job. I want to be an affirmer because Jesus is an affirmer. Listen carefully today. If you do, you will be able to hear Him say, “Well done.”

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” – Psalm 51:10

Creation is God’s great act of delight. In Genesis 1 and 2, God takes a formless and vacant world and fills with it with a symphony of beauty. Light floods across the cosmos. Waters sparkle next to beaches. Giant whales take their place next to microscopic krill as the oceans teem with life. Vegetation, fruit, flowers, trees, and grasses paint the land with their subtle colors and splashes of joy. The sun, moon, and stars take their place in the sky, lining up like dancers waiting to move across the heavens.

God speaks, and creation explodes across the canvas of the universe. He fills every corner with His purpose, displaying His power and showcasing His passion. Creation points us to His heart. It declares His glory and sings His praise. It stands as a reminder of His tender care and intimate involvement in every part of our lives. What He forms, He fills. What He shapes, He sanctifies. What He creates, He consecrates.

David looks at his heart, blackened by sin, and asks God to create within him a new heart, a clean heart, a whole heart. When we ask God to create a clean heart within us, we are doing more than asking for a blank slate. When God creates, He pours His heart into it. He fills it with Himself. He shapes it for His glory, transforming it for His purposes. When we ask Him to create a clean heart within us, we are asking for all the power revealed in Genesis 1 and 2 to be unleashed inside of us. We are asking for light to replace darkness, for order to rise out of chaos, and for fullness to overflow into what was empty and formless.

My Jesus Resolution today is to pray David’s prayer. My heart echoes David’s cry. I look at my misguided choices, misplaced motives, and misdirected ambitions and know that I need a clean heart. One that will mirror His character, echo His desires, and reverberate with His grace. In asking the Creator to work within me, I am asking for doubt to give way to delight, guilt to flee before the power of grace, and barrenness to be transformed by beauty.

I just finished reading Leviticus. After the story-driven narratives of Genesis and Exodus, it is sometimes hard to dive into the lists of laws, dietary restrictions, and sacrifices. There are rules for everything – property sales, relationships, personal hygiene, planting and harvesting crops, and forbidden foods. Sometimes my eyes swim and the page starts to blur as I read command after command that delve deeply into the most personal aspects of Israelite life.

Amid all the lists, rules, commands, and guidelines, it is important to catch the foundation for all of God’s laws. “You shall be holy to me, for I the LORD am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.” – Leviticus 20:26.

Holiness is at the root of Leviticus. Every law, every command, every rule, and every edict is meant to shape their hearts to reflect the holiness of God Himself. He draws clear lines as boundary markers for holiness. He walks in the middle of their lives to show them how deeply He wants their hearts to be infused with His character. He shows them how to eat, worship, buy and sell, work, and stand in relationships so that every aspect of their lives will catch the rhythm of His righteousness.

Leviticus reminds me of how deeply God wants holiness to penetrate my life. “But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.” – I Peter 1:15. It is the little word all that captures the flavor of Leviticus. He wants every relationship, every transaction, every attitude, every action, and every motive to be defined by holiness. He longs for every snapshot of my life to frame Jesus at its center.

My Jesus Resolution today is to embrace holiness. I am going to remember that God wants to inhabit every part of my day. He longs for holiness to permeate my vision and my choices. He is Lord and I need to bow before Him, giving Him access to every conversation, every decision, and every opportunity. Learning to live the lessons of Leviticus means grasping the deep truth that He is interested in transforming every detail of my heart with His holiness.

The waves crashed into the beach, creating a thunderous symphony of sound and power. The white foam glistened in the light from the shore. The sand shimmered as the blanket of night enfolded the beach in its embrace. In the place where sea and land meet, the sound of the collision created its own special music, both terrible and beautiful.

We walked down a lonely pier that stretched far into the waters of the ocean. Moving away from the shore, the sound of the waves hitting the sand faded as we journeyed further across the waters of the sea. Things appeared calmer. The noises of the beach became muffled. The lights from the shore grew dimmer. The fierceness of the crashing waves settled into the melodic rhythm of ocean swells dancing beneath us. The immensity of the ocean became very real as we looked into depths of inky water under a starless sky.

In that moment, the words of the psalmist rang across the waters.

“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” – Psalm 8:3-4

The depths of the ocean, the majesty of the mountain, the warmth of the desert, and the quiet aliveness of the forest all call our hearts to God. Each one testifies to His immensity, His sovereignty, and His purpose. He wants us to see the ocean and measure it against the vastness of His love and grace. The mountains call our souls to rest in His unchanging power and faithfulness. The stark splendor of the desert reminds us of God’s ever-present nearness, and the truth that no matter how bleak our circumstances might seem there is beauty to be found in His presence. The life we see permeating the forest reminds our hearts to be rooted in His purpose and plan for our lives. The beauty of nature is just a frame for the magnificent artistry He wants to paint in our lives.

My Jesus Resolution today is to listen to the voice of the earth. Every rock, tree, flower, and bird has a lesson to teach me about God. The same One who created the moon and the oceans wants me to walk by His side. He chooses to invest His heart in me. He longs for my heart to yearn for Him. He gave Himself completely for me so that I can learn to give myself completely to Him. Look out your window today – what snapshot of His heart is He framing for you?

“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” – I Corinthians 13:12

Have you seen the allergy medicine commercial that describes having allergies like living in a fog? The promise is that if you take their medicine, the allergy fog will lift and everything in your life will become crystal clear.

Clarity is a valuable gift. When we have clarity, we see things as they truly are. We are able to appreciate beauty, experience gratitude, and live with an affirming perspective.

What allergies might do to us physically, sin definitely does to us spiritually. It clouds our vision. It generates fogs of frustration, dark clouds of doubt and despair, and turns our eyes towards the shadows. There is an uncertainty and self-focus that flow from a lack of clarity. It turns our perspective inward, forcing us to rely on ourselves to find our way through the fog. Our confidence shatters, our joy fades, and our peace gets blurry.

Jesus is the remedy. The cross is the answer to the fog of sin that so often obscures our vision. His presence in our lives is the antidote to anxiety. He wants us to be Christ clear. He longs to open our eyes to the truth the world wants to mask in the shadows. He wants us to experience the abundance that comes from walking in His light. He wants to give us a clarity that helps us see all the markers of His presence He plants in our days.

My Jesus Resolution today is to be Christ clear. I want to see with His eyes, and have the clarity that only comes from standing in the shadow of the cross. I want His perspective to shape the way I see my day, my family, my neighbors, my job, my blessings, and my struggles. Like allergy medicine, it means taking Jesus in every day, asking Him to transform my eyes, mold my heart, and infuse my very being with His image.

She is ninety years old and the sweetest woman you would ever want to meet. Her gentle spirit speaks to long years of walking with God. She radiates a beauty she is completely unaware she has. Her Bible is well worn. Its words are written on her heart, deeply etched from spending so much time with the Master. Her hands are stiff with arthritis, but pliable in the hands of her Lord. She serves with love, sings with joy, and inspires us with her faith and constant presence.

That is why it was so surprising. It was Sunday morning. The sermon was over, and the song we were singing invited tender hearts to deep surrender. There was a rippled pause as my sweet friend slowly made her way to the front. It was the walk of someone deeply broken, carrying a weight that only the Lord could bear. No one could imagine why she was there.

The elders surrounded her in a way that spoke to their profound respect and love for this dear soul. She talked quietly against one shoulder, bowing her head in a mirror of what was happening in her heart.

Finally, one the elders spoke on her behalf. She had come with a heart moved to repentance and confession. She grieved her sin, longing for a fresh movement of grace. Her tender heart spoke of her deep desire to look more like Jesus and her ache that she had failed to mirror Him. She asked for forgiveness. She mourned how her actions might have impacted the hearts of those around her.

She impacted me, but not in the negative way she feared. Her tenderness broke through the hardness of my own heart. Her transparency humbled me. Her willingness to be open about her struggle cast a light on my usual desire to manage my image. Her actions of repentance and confession challenged me to examine my own actions. Her desire to look more like Jesus flamed my own deep longing.

My Jesus Resolution is to be just like her. I want to have that kind of tender heart. I crave the sensitivity to the presence of God that she lived out before us. I long to be transparent to the core. I want to be so embedded in the movement of God that the slightest nudge sends me to my knees. I pray that someday somebody will be able to see Jesus as clearly in me as I see Him in her.