Casandra Martin

There is a particular quote by Friedrich Nietzsche that God has been using to impress a deep truth on my heart.

“The essential thing ‘in heaven and earth’ is…that there should be a long obedience in the same direction.”

We live in a world that values flashy beginnings. Start-ups, IPOs, the impending product release, and the ‘new and improved’ receive a lot of headlines. We are fascinated with what is coming next. We hardly get the latest gadget out of the box before we are looking around for another new something to buy. Our society seems to have settled into a mindset in which what is new is always applauded. Things that are steady, reliable, and consistent bring a yawn.

I heard someone say once that anybody can start. What counts is finishing well. That is what Nietzsche was saying. Starting is good, essential even, but continuing, staying with it, and finishing well are what really matter.

God calls us to a long obedience in the same direction. In a world where it is fashionable to jump from one trend to the next fad, He gently moves our eyes to His faithfulness, steadfastness, and unending, unwavering love. Imitate Me, He says. Walk with Me for the long haul, and experience the joy that only comes from going deeper and deeper into My heart.

My Jesus Resolution today is to commit to a long obedience in the same direction. God wants me to spend every day opening my heart to His transformation. Surrender reaps its greatest blessings over the long term. Looking like Jesus is something that happens over a lifetime. A long obedience isn’t easy. It isn’t fashionable or newsworthy. It is the daily choice to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. But, as Nietzsche said, it results in “something which has made life worth living.”

If you watch crime dramas, you know that fingerprints are clues. They reveal who has been present, who has touched the moment, and who has shaped what you now see. Fingerprints are identifiers. Each fingerprint is unique, leaving a marker behind which points us to someone’s presence.

Today, I want to challenge you to keep your eyes open for God’s fingerprints. They are all around us. He leaves evidence of His presence in every moment. Here are ten questions to ask yourself today that might help you discover a clue about how God has touched your day.

1. What was the most beautiful thing I saw today?

2. What kindness touched my heart today?

3. Where did I hear God’s voice today?

4. What am I most thankful for today?

5. What challenge did I face today?

6. What joy did I experience today?

7. What was the most delicious thing I tasted today?

8. What made me laugh today?

9. Where did I receive mercy today?

10. Who best looked like Jesus for me today?

My Jesus Resolution today is to search for God’s fingerprints. I am going to keep my eyes wide open, my heart sensitive to His presence, and my ears listening for His movement. Places of goodness, mercy, joy, laughter, and blessing are all moments when it is possible to discover the fingerprint of God on my day. I can see Him in the lives of those around me, in the beauty that fills the skies, and the ways in which I open my heart to listen to His voice. Today I am going to be on the lookout for fingerprints. I can’t wait to be surprised by all the ways God has already touched my day.

You have to be quiet to hear it. There is a chorus of praise that rises from the earth. All creation is singing to God. We might hear it first in the songs of a bird. Each note declares the glory of its Creator. But birds aren’t the only ones. The stars sing in the sky. The mountains point to God. The trees lift branches to the One who made them. Jesus tells us that even rocks have the ability to cry out and give Him honor.

The whole earth pulsates with praise. From the smallest insect crawling on the ground to the waves of the mighty ocean, the world declares the glory and splendor of God. Our job is to listen and join in.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” – Psalm 19:1-4a

We live in a world of overwhelming noise. Man-made sound fills our ears everywhere we turn. It is easy to go through our days and never stop to listen to the chorus of praise rising from the earth. Listening to it requires moving our hearts into quietness. We have to walk away from the noise and tune our ears to hear the praise that is pouring forth from all creation. It is a song that points us straight to the heart of God. It is an invitation to live a life of praise.

My Jesus Resolution today is to join in the chorus of praise. I am going to turn off the noise so I can listen. I want to hear a song of praise in the way creation points to God. I don’t want to be so busy, talk so much, or surround myself with so much noise that I miss the song that declares His glory. I want my life to sing His praise.

I baked bread this morning. Just as the sun was beginning to color the sky, I peeked into the oven and saw the rising loafs taking shape. Turning on the oven, I started counting the minutes. The aroma of baking bread filled the house. Bread has its own unique, wonderful fragrance. The combination of flour, yeast, salt, and oil create a mouth-watering, head-turning, nose-following smell. Yum!

Finally the timer signaled the end of the baking cycle. I pulled the warm loaves from the oven, setting them on a rack to cool. Opening the oven released an even stronger scent into the air. The aroma permeated the entire house. The smell of baking bread is enough to make tummies growl and smiles appear on morning faces.

Fast forward to later in the day. Here is the moment that caught me by surprise. After a walk in the neighborhood, I pulled out my key to open our front door. Standing outside the house, I caught a familiar smell – baking bread. Our home was so full of the wonderful aroma that it leaked out of the house, filling the yard with its enticing smell.

The smell of baking bread always draws my mind to Jesus. He is the Bread of Life. He longs to nourish our souls in the same way delicious bread feeds our bodies. But it is the aroma that draws my eyes to His face. In 2 Corinthians 2:15 says, “For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.” Everywhere we go, we carry with us the fragrance of Christ. We have the opportunity to smell like Jesus for everyone we meet.

God taught me an important lesson today on the sidewalk. He wants me to be so full of the smell of the Living Bread that it spills out of my life, inviting those just walking by to experience it. I need to be so full of Jesus that it permeates every part of who I am.

My Jesus Resolution today is to be aware of how I smell. I want to leave the fragrance of Christ lingering in every room I walk into. I am going to be especially careful not to let the smells of the world penetrate my heart. I want to open the doors of my life so that others can take a deep breath and smell the aroma of Christ in me.

“If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.” – Matthew 5:41

I have seen some second milers this week. People who have willingly walked out of their comfort zones and gone the extra mile. They have gotten their hands dirty, spent time on their knees, worked late into the night, and served with a passion that was infectious to others. It was humbling and inspiring to see God at work in these hearts.

Jesus calls those who wear His name to walk the second mile. Walking the second mile happens best when we choose to go beyond the ordinary in order to show others the heart of God. A little extra kindness. An extra measure of grace. Gratitude fully extended. Love poured out on another without hesitation or condition.

We live in a first mile world. Do what’s required. Give enough to get by. Take what you can. Use every situation to your advantage. Those who walk the second mile turn the world’s logic on its head. Instead of hedging our bets, we are called to give without limit, walk without stopping, and love without end.

My Jesus Resolution today is to walk the second mile. I am going to look for an opportunity to serve and show God’s grace to someone in my day. I want to be deliberate about extending mercy, bestowing love, and offering hope. I am going to give my time, energy, and focus to the Lord as a sacrifice of praise as I go through whatever doors He opens for me today. I want to walk the second mile because Jesus walked it for me.

Going green is big right now. People are concerned about the environment. There is a growing emphasis on reusing, reducing, and recycling. Taking care of our earth’s resources is a necessary part of being good stewards of the blessings God has given us.

At our house, we recycle. We have a special bin that holds our aluminum cans, newspapers, and recyclable plastics. It has long been the job of our little ones to help take these items to the recycle bin. I have memory snapshots of little hands dropping one can at a time in the recycling bin, pride streaming across their faces as they learned the power of a job well done.

Despite the new emphasis on going green in our society, recycling is not a new idea. God has always been in the business of renewing, refreshing, recharging, redeeming, and redirecting. He loves to take the old and make it new. It is His deep desire to redeem the broken, infuse the used up with new purpose, and recycle our experiences into tools for His glory.

Nothing is wasted with God. He can take anything in our lives and use it to teach us about His heart. My job is to put what I have into His hands. Sometimes I look and all I see is trash – wasted, broken pieces of my attempts to do it on my own. In Romans 8:28, God makes an amazing promise to recycle our junk into good. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” God’s purpose is for me to look like Jesus. He will use everything I bring Him to make that transformation a reality in my life.

My Jesus Resolution today is to surrender to God’s recycling plan. I am going to put my heart in His hands and ask Him to make me new. I am going to trust His faithfulness, surrender to His power, and believe His promises. He can take every part of me and renew it, reclaim it, repurpose it, and redeem it. Even the trash. Even the stuff that looks worthless, broken, and empty. He will use it all to create something brand new – a picture of Jesus in me.

Invisibility seems like it would be a cool super power. We could glide into rooms unnoticed, listen in on top-secret conversations, and find the clue that will save the world. In real life, being invisible is more a matter of the heart than a super power. We all have an ache to be seen. This isn’t a grab for personal glory or a pathological need for attention. It is a need wired into our souls – a need to be known, loved, valued, and appreciated.

Feeling invisible makes our hearts heavy. We move through our days wondering if we register in anyone’s eyes as anything other than a solid object to move around. We live in such a fast-paced world that it is easy to be surrounded by people, but never connect to anyone.

Hagar knows how you feel. Mistreated, abused, ignored, used, and taken for granted, Hagar feels so invisible she flees into the desert. On the road to Shur, she has a conversation that changes her life and her direction. The Lord tells her that He has heard of her misery, seen her service, understands her circumstances, and then tells her submission must define the direction of her heart. Hagar turns around and goes back home. The situation hasn’t changed. She has no reason to expect to be treated any differently. But a few words on the road lift the weight of invisibility off of Hagar’s heart. Here’s why. In Genesis 16:13, Hagar says, “You are the God who sees me….”

God sees you. He notices what you do. He pays attention to how you move through your day. He sees you when you feel tired, unappreciated, used up, or unloved. He notices your quiet kindnesses, your effort to give your best, and your unseen sacrifices. He sees and He smiles. He notices and draws near. He pays attention and pours out His promises and purpose. He sees you. You can walk back into any circumstance you face today with the confidence and peace that comes from knowing that you are known and deeply loved.

My Jesus Resolution today is to really see someone around me. I am going to slow down and pay attention to the people who walk through my day. I want to listen, not just hear; see, not just glance; love, not just pass by. A hug, a note, a shoulder, or a smile may be all it takes to lift the weight of invisibility off of someone’s heart today. God sees me. I want the way I interact with others today to help them see God.

We are big on birthdays at my house. They are such a big deal in our family that we can’t just celebrate one a year. We throw a party on half-birthdays as well. We call them Special Someone Days.

On Special Someone Days, we focus on celebrating the blessings of having that special someone in our family. We pile on the laughs, throw in a few presents, whip up a favorite dinner, and have some deliberate fun. I just don’t think that you can be too thankful, share too much joy, laugh together too often, or over-celebrate love. On this special day, we are deliberate about telling our Special Someone that they are important to us, how they have blessed our lives, what they mean to our family, and that they are worth celebrating.

You can imagine that Jesus made every day Special Someone Day. Perhaps it was the leper who hugged everyone he met on the street, the blind person who couldn’t take his eyes off the sunlight, or the paralyzed individual who skipped home to his family. Maybe it was the sinner who received grace, the broken who rejoiced in wholeness, or the lost who found the Way. Every day, Jesus looked around, touched a heart, and declared with His presence and power that they were worth celebrating.

He is still doing that today. God has named today Special Someone Day. Today He is celebrating you. He has taken this day and filled it with His presence, painted in joy, poured out blessings, and saturated it with His love – all for you. He wants you to know that you are worth it – worth loving, worth dying for, worth pursuing, worth transforming, and worth celebrating.

My Jesus Resolution today is to find the joy God has planted in my Special Someone Day. He made this day for me. I am going to celebrate the relationship we share, the gift of His presence, and the grace that allows me to recognize how much He really loves me and how much I really need Him. I am going to make this a deliberate day of praise, thanksgiving, rejoicing, and reflection. I am going to tell my Special Someone how much He means to me.

They are playing Scrabble in the other room. Gathered around a checkered board, they put words together, add up points, call for the dictionary, and laugh. It is a neat picture, and one that captures more than the essence of a game. It is the essence of life.

Scrabble is a game that demands that you take the letters you are given, use the language, vocabulary, and learning that you have poured into your life, and put words together. We are all given letters in life. Pieces that we are supposed to take and make into something meaningful. Not only do we have to come up with words, they have to fit on the board and mesh with everyone else’s words. But here is the opportunity – we can choose the words that we create.

Every day, we get a new set of letters. We can complain about the letters we are given and refuse to play. We can roll our eyes, throw down a three-letter word, and pass our turn. We can plan and plot and then get frustrated when somebody takes our play. Or we can get creative, take inspiration from the words that others have laid down before us, and make the best out of what is in our hand.

The truth is that words have power. Words can build up or tear down. They can give life or cut away at someone’s heart. We can choose the words we put on the board, committing to creating words with our lives that will point others to Jesus.

My Jesus Resolution today is to build words that will last. I am going to fill my mind with God’s words so that they will be there for me to draw on when I look at my letters. I am going to look for the opportunities to seek His face that are built into my hand. I am going to build on what the people around me have already discovered about how to walk with God, letting their letters become part of my life’s words. I can’t wait to see the letters I get today. I know that God is in control of my day. Whatever happens, He will pour out enough grace so that I can find the letters J-E-S-U-S.

I have a cold. Nothing serious or major, just several days of tissues, medicine, and misery. You know the feeling – sore throat, drippy nose, and stuffiness. Everything feels clogged. My ears feel like they have cotton stuffed into them. My voice is scratchy and running at about half volume (of course, not everyone thinks this is a bad thing). My nose is sore, and I can’t breathe.

Breathing is about more than taking air into our lungs. Breathing is life – both physically and spiritually. When God created man, He fashioned legs, arms, eyes, and smiles, and then He breathed the breath of life into him. This breath did more than animate the body. It gave life to the soul.

Our language reveals our understanding of how breathing is connected to life. If something amazing happens, we talk about how it took our breath away. Spectacular beauty can cause us to catch our breath. When stress overwhelms us, we encourage someone to take a deep breath. We cry with joy when babies take their first breath. We weep when someone breathes their last.

When Jesus wanted to assure the disciples of His presence in their lives, He breathed on them. It is a moment that echoes with Eden-like significance. New life in the Spirit. Peace beyond understanding. Joy without limit.

My Jesus Resolution today is to breathe. I am going to let each breath remind me of the presence of God. I am going to remember that life flows from Him and be grateful for each breath He gives me. I want to live in such a way that I breathe love, graciousness, encouragement, and thanksgiving into the lives of those around me. Take a deep breath with me today. Fill your life with Jesus.