Casandra Martin

We had a terrible thunderstorm this week. Rain fell in sheets, thunder boomed and rattled the earth, and lightning lit up the sky. It was awesome, a little scary, and left the echoes of God’s words to Job ringing in my ears. “Who has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain and a way for the thunderbolt…?” (Job 38:25)

Thunderstorms are noisy. There is obviously the thunder, the crack of the lightning, and the pounding rain. The thunder was so intense it set off car alarms. The wind blew through the trees. As we listened to the howling storm outside, my husband noticed a new sound. He told me to be quiet and listen to the sounds below the storm. That’s when I heard it – the frogs were singing in the rain. I smiled. Even here, even now, His creation was praising Him.

Today the sun is shining, but I have not forgotten the lesson of the frogs. It is easier to praise God when the sky is blue, the rainbow is visible, and the way is bright. It is harder in the storm. When the sky is dark, the wind is screaming in my ear, and everything I know feels under attack, praise is often the last thing on my mind. Fear often stomps on my faith. Worry trumps worship, while doubt drowns out delight. The frogs reminded me of the importance of singing through the storm. When the storm hits, God is still sovereign. He is still in control even though I feel completely spun out of control. He still loves me even though storms make me feel isolated and alone. He is still watching over me, making a way for me, even when I can’t see the next step. Singing changes the sound of the storm.

My Jesus Resolution today is to sing in the rain. Choosing to sing in the rain means I make the deliberate decision to praise God even when things are dark and tough. Praise doesn’t necessarily change the fury of the storm, but it does change my focus on the storm. It tells my fear, doubt, and worry that God is bigger than the storm scaring my heart. The frogs taught me that I don’t have to sing louder than the storm – just sing. A quiet whisper of praise will be heard by those who choose to listen.

Reading through my Bible, I keep coming across an interesting command – celebrate. Over and over, God commands His own to be a people defined, shaped, and identified by celebration. We are to celebrate His movement, His timing, His love, His protection, His mercy, and His provision. Psalm 145:7 says, “They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.”

This command has caused me to pause and look hard at my heart. Am I a celebrator? Do my children know that celebrating God’s goodness is going to be a constant priority in our family? Do my friends know that every time we talk, we are going to come around to the marvelous things of God? Do the people I meet through my day walk away with a little bit wider eyes for His movement and His love? Amazingly enough, celebration doesn’t come naturally to us. It has to be rehearsed, practiced, and formed into a habit. But imagine the possibilities if we let celebrating Jesus shape our souls….

Here are three steps to making celebration a holy habit:

1. Notice God’s movement in your day. Keep your eyes open for things to celebrate – blessings, answered prayers, reminders of God’s promises, His fingerprints on your day.
2. Stop and say “thank you.” Express your appreciation and offer your praise to God for His love and presence in your day.
3. Tell someone what God has done for you today. Celebration is meant to be shared. When you share your celebration, it opens your eyes, softens your heart, and multiplies joy in unimaginable ways.

My Jesus Resolution today is to be a celebrator. Celebration has the power to transform my perspective, my priorities, and my prayers. I want my children to have a mom who sees God around every corner, points Him out, and cheers. I want my husband to be encouraged by the way I see God working in him and through him. I want my friends to expect to hear that the best news of the day is the way God is keeping His promises and empowering His purpose in them. Today I am going to celebrate. With all that Jesus has done for me, how can I do anything else?

This morning it’s the quiet, solid, determined words of Paul that are speaking perspective and strength into my soul. Listen. “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

Do you hear it? Paul looks at his struggles, his hardships, his brokenness, and his heartaches and sees God at work in them all. I don’t know what is pulling at your heart today, but I can hold your hand and remind you that God doesn’t waste anything. He uses every moment to draw us deeper into His purpose and more tightly into His love. Grace has the power to weave its way into our desperateness and change our souls. It can be slow. It can be hard. But Paul reminds us that because of Jesus, it is possible to experience joy and abundance right where we are today.

My Jesus Resolution is to be courageous. Fear has a way of making my soul feel like it is filled with cement. Doubt sneaks in, coloring my vision. Weariness just makes me wonder if it is all worth it. Jesus tells me to not lose heart. He is renewing me, igniting hope, instilling love, and infusing peace. He is preparing me for beyond imagination treasures. Often it takes courage to walk through what the day holds, and sometimes that seems overwhelming. I like what Mary Anne Radmacher said, “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’”

I heard them while my eyes were still closed. The sunlight was just beginning to filter through the clouds. As grey melted into pink and gold, their songs grew in intensity as they called to one another from the canopy just outside my window. I have been listening to the birds fill the morning sky with their songs of praises to our God.  There are familiar warbles and new chirps, but what is interesting is just the variety of voices that make up the chorus just outside my window. Together they raise an anthem of praise that proclaims to the world that God is God and there is no one like Him. Individually, they each bring their own note to the table. Together, they become a chorus of worship.

People and birds have something in common. Each of us has our own beauty, own voice, and own way in which God has prepared us to praise Him. Every day I have the opportunity to offer myself in worship. When we come together, our lives blend into a chorus of praise that is unique and lovely as it rises in the world to point others to Christ.

My Jesus Resolution today is to learn from the birds. I am going to take time to listen today. I want to hear how the earth is offering itself in praise. I want to notice how the wind, the birds, the flowers, and the sun all join together to proclaim His name. Then I am going to join them. Let’s fill the earth with His praise. You never know who might be listening to you sing.

My son had his tonsils out last week. After years of strep throat, sinus infections, and general misery, the doctor said it was time for them to go. The doctor walked through the procedure, outlined the process of recovery, and warned us about the pain. He was blunt that the days following the surgery would be dominated by discomfort. Despite the warnings, my son was ready to go. Anything had to be better than all the problems with his sinuses.

Then he woke up.

My son made it through the surgery fine. He is expected to make a full recovery. But today he is dealing with the pain. Somehow the warnings about pain never quite capture the reality. His face aches. It hurts to swallow. He has pain medicine, but it has to be taken with food, which, of course, has to be swallowed. He has to endure the pain in order to be able to experience the health he longs to have.

I see myself in his tears. I am infected by sin. In order to bring me to a healthier place, God must remove those pieces of me that belong to the world. Transformation is about more than installing peace, joy, and contentment. If I am going to wear the image of Christ, God is going to have rip out pride, anger, and greed. And it hurts. It is painful to die to self. It is hard to let go of me, and embrace a new way of thinking, walking, talking, and acting. The familiar, even if infected, is comfortable. I have to be willing to give up comfortable in order to experience everything it means to be cherished in Christ.

My Jesus Resolution today is to surrender to the Great Physician. God wants me to be healthy, strong, and shaped for His glory. He will do all that is necessary to form Jesus in me. Even if that means pain. Even if that means asking me to let go of comfort. Even if that means walking through the fire because that is faith is refined. God doesn’t inflict pain unnecessarily, but He does use pain to help us shed the world and take on the image of Jesus.

We were watching the news when the tidbit about the rain caused me to take notice and listen. Right now things are a little soggy in my neck of the woods. The ground is drenched. There are puddles in the yard. Baseball teams have cancelled more games than they have played.  So when they mentioned a fast fact about rainfall in my state, I perked up. Ready? In the last week alone, over a trillion gallons of rain water have fallen on the state of Texas. In one week. Over one trillion gallons. That is a one with twelve zeroes. I wonder how many raindrops it takes to make a gallon. Whatever it is, it is a God-sized number

As raindrops continue to hit the roof, we are reminded of the truth that God is blessing us. Through recent years, we have experienced the devastating effects of drought. It is amazing how that time of scarcity has reframed how we see this time of abundance. No one is complaining about the rain. We have a greater appreciation for its power, have a deeper understanding of its necessity, and are looking at the sky with new eyes.

The rain just reminds us of a principle that we see played out in our hearts every day. Grace is sweeter when we run smack into sin. Joy is richer following a period of sorrow. Peace is a marvel during a storm. The balance of God’s world teaches us to seek His face, reach for His hand, and embrace His presence no matter what the moment brings. Sunny days brighten our hearts as we soak in His warmth. Rainy days encourage us to crawl into the comfort of His arms and rest. Either way, we spend the day with Jesus.

My Jesus Resolution today is to be thankful for the rain. Sometimes I tend to roll my eyes about the weather rather than dropping to my knees for the opportunity to see God at work. The rain carries His blessings, as well as the sunshine. I can pray for places and people in our land that thirst for rain. I can remember that there is not a drop of rain that falls without God counting its number and directing its path. And it doesn’t matter if it is a single drop or one trillion gallons, God wants the rain to remind me that He wants to reign in my heart.

Are your eyes open yet? Some of us are “eyes pop open, ready to go” types. Others of us struggle to open both eyes at the same time before the second cup of coffee has had time to work its magic. Either way, mornings are a great time to be deliberate about opening our eyes. Our physical eyes are going to open if we want to move through our day. It is important to take a minute and open our spiritual eyes too.

This morning as you begin your day, take a minute to look around. Count your blessings. Invest in a moment of thanksgiving. Give your heart permission to praise. Rehearse His grace, remember His love, and replay the many ways in which He has provided for your soul. Too many times, I rush into the day with my eyes focused on the task at hand, the to-do list must-dos, and the way the clock is moving faster than my feet. Stopping to open my eyes to His presence allows the sweetness and richness of His glory to seep into the cracks of my heart. It changes my perspective, challenging me to look up before I worry or fret or frown. Slowing down and breathing in His nearness allows His grace to set my pace for the day.

My Jesus Resolution today is to enter my day with my eyes wide open. God has already filled this day with blessings, lessons, fingerprints, opportunities, lessons, and faith reminders. He has already provided exactly what my heart requires to answer the needs of the day. Today, I am going to keep my eyes open, pay attention, and let Him fill me with wonder.

I am writing this in the dark. I turned on the light. Everything was fine, and then there was a pop. You know the kind I mean. My space went from well-lit and colorful to shadows and darkness in the blink of an eye. I got up and fumbled around, looking for a light bulb. Have you ever run out of light bulbs? Not having a replacement on hand means that dark resides where normally there is light. A light bulb seems like such an ordinary thing. Something not worth noticing, or paying attention to, but something that jumps to the top of the list when it is out. It highlights to me how much I take light for granted. A flip of a switch and light fills a room. It is only when the light bulb burns out that I notice the pervasive nature of darkness.

Adding light bulbs to my grocery list always highlights the sweetness of Revelation 22:4-5. “They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.” Marked as His own treasure, we will see His face. We will behold His glory, delight in His nearness, and praise will pour forth in torrents of worship. Darkness is banished from heaven. No more black grief, no more dark fear, no more shadows of doubt – pure light. No temporary or artificial lights. No created lights. We will bask in the warmth and radiance of the light that is God Himself.

My Jesus Resolution today is to appreciate light. Jesus tells me in John 8:12 that He is the Light of the world. His light never darkens, dims, or fades away. I can count on His light to shine no matter what my circumstances hold, how dark my struggles become, or where I find myself walking. I want to notice how light, whether the sun outside or a small nightlight, illuminates and guides my way. Today when I turn on a light, I am going to think about the light that fills heaven and shines in my soul.

“On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’’” – John 8:37-38

Are you a bath or a shower person? If you got to choose where to relax and wash away the day’s stress and grime, which one would you choose? There is nothing quite like the luxury of a warm bath or shower at the end of the day or first thing in the morning to invigorate and renew us. Water is refreshing. It cools, cleans, hydrates, and has a quiet power that we often take for granted. Running water, over time, has the strength to erode mountains and reshape the landscape. We live on a blue planet. A good percentage of our own bodies are made up of water.

Water is one of the most basic necessities of life, and every drop should point us to Jesus. Physical water has the power to help us understand the Living Water that flows only from Christ. A dry mouth is meant to awaken our thirst for Him. Our deep sigh when we sink into the bathtub or stand under the shower jet is designed to immerse our souls more deeply in the ocean of His delight. God wants us to live lives drenched in His grace, saturated with His presence, and soaked in His purpose.

My Jesus Resolution is to stop and thank Jesus every time I use water today. I want every drop to remind me of the way Jesus satisfies the dryness in my soul. I want to be over-the-top grateful for both clean water and Living Water. I need to let the ease with which I can turn on a faucet open my eyes to the abundance of His grace. When I take a bath or shower today, I am going to let the moment draw my eyes to the face of Jesus.

“Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” – Proverbs 27:6

A sweet friend came to me with a hard question. How do you handle a critic? We all know the sinking feeling that hits your heart when someone criticizes you, your work, or someone you love. It is challenging to listen to criticism with a calm heart because even the best-intentioned criticism hurts. No one likes to have their flaws, errors, or shortcomings brought into the light. Sometimes criticism flows from a misunderstanding or a need on the part of the critic. Whatever its source, criticism has the power to rattle your confidence and steal your joy.

Here are five steps to handling criticism when it comes your way –

1. Listen as thoughtfully and calmly as possible. Often our first thought is to formulate an answer, begin to internally criticize our critic, or get very emotional. Staying calm and listening carefully allows you to process someone’s concern all the way through.
2. Consider the source of the criticism. This is where the wisdom from the Proverbs writer comes into focus. If the concern comes from a trusted friend it needs to be heard differently than criticism from someone who doesn’t know you, doesn’t have all the information, or is a criticism-enthusiast.
3. Ask yourself if there is a legitimate concern in what they are saying. This is hard because our first reaction is usually defensiveness or guilt, but it is important to stop and think about whether or not there is any validity in what is being said.
4. Ask your critic what their solution would be. This does two things. First, it can change the tone of the conversation away from criticism to finding an answer. Second, many times this gives you the best insight into the source of their real concern. Ask them how they would be willing to help implement their solution.
5. Say thank you. You want to be someone who is open to other’s praise and criticism. Showing gratitude in difficult moments keeps the doors of communication open.

My Jesus Resolution today is to set my heart on receiving criticism with grace. No one wants criticism, but honestly, there are times I need a friend to tell me a truth I don’t see or want to hear. I want to build relationships in which accountability is cultivated and valued. If I am going to look like Jesus, I need others to show me (and tell me) the way.