When he approached, God spoke to Moses and told him He had chosen him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses was not exactly excited about the idea. He immediately was aware of his lack of qualifications and asked “Who am I?” in Exodus 3:11. He knew he did not have what it would take to lead thousands of people out of the grip of an evil Pharaoh and into freedom. He was not enough and he knew it, but God was not asking him to do it alone.
 
God did not answer Moses’ fear with assurances that he did indeed have what it would take to do the impossible task. He did not even tell Moses how amazing he was or that he was made for the moment. God’s plan did not rest on Moses’ ability to lead the mass exodus. His response in Exodus 3:12 was, “I will certainly be with you…” That’s enough, but Moses still was not convinced. In Exodus 4:10, Moses reminds God that speaking was not something he was good at. That didn’t deter God either. God reminded Moses in 4:11 that He was the One who had created Moses’ mouth, would give him the words to say and would teach him along the way. God is not concerned with our ability, but with our obedience. The question is not, ‘Who am I?’ but rather ‘Who is He?’
 
The loud voices in our culture bombard us with messages that we are enough, but the problem is, we know deep down we actually are not. We try hard and succeed in one thing only to fail at another. When I sat in my chair that early morning, relief flooded my mind as I realized ‘enough’ is an unattainable and an always moving goal.
 
Thankfully, God has never asked us to be enough. He has asked us to do life with Him instead. He IS enough and always will be. He has all we need in any situation we face. He readily gives wisdom to all who ask and loves to respond when we call. The truth is, we are not left to do life on our own but are invited into a life WITH Him. When we are at a loss, He never is. He is an endless supply of wisdom, grace and all we could ever need. He is the only one who truly knows every part of every situation. He knows the past, present and future. He has invited us to ask Him for wisdom when we don’t have it. We are not enough, and that is okay because He is.

​The story of mankind laid out in God’s Word is much like the stories I loved to read. There is a Hero, a villain, and a people who need rescue. The story starts out beautifully, only to have something dark and sinister captivate the beloved. There is One who is stronger than the villain, ready to do what it takes to rescue. In this story, the weak become strong, the broken become whole, the sinful become righteous, and the shamed are healed. Sadness turns to joy, and despair turns to hope. Chaos is turned to order, and what is wrong is made right again.
 
Revelation is the final chapter when all things are complete and all is made new. The villain is conquered, the pain is relieved, the relationship is restored— there is happily ever after.
 
In Revelation 21:3-5a, the Apostle John shares his God-given vision. He says, “Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: ‘Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.’ Then the one seated on the throne said, ‘Look, I am making everything new.’”
 
Though we don’t live in Happily Ever After yet, this message is hope for us today. Because of Jesus, we are invited to know Him and live a life of intimacy with Him now, but in the future there is so much more promised for those who put their hope in Him. Knowing how the story ends anchors our hearts through the twists and turns of life. We can know whatever trial we are going through will not last forever.
 
Stories with tragic endings like untimely death and loss are not the final chapter. We may not like the chapter we’re in, but we can be sure of the ending because the last hope-filled chapter is promised. We will once again be with God and see Him as he truly is. We will be unhindered by sin and its effects and every ounce of grief, sadness and pain will no longer be ours.
 
Knowing the final chapter of God’s story, and the story of mankind makes life worth living. Today, let us lift our eyes above our present trouble, and fix our eyes on our promised Hope.
 
With our eyes on the future and the One Who holds it all, we can be courageous to face our day. The end of the story is not our small story, our pain or even our joys, but the end of our story and the story of us all is being with the One who created us all and loves with an intensity we cannot comprehend.

​As it turns out, God created us to be reflections of who we spend time with and what we turn our attention to. We were designed for intimacy with Him, and intended to reflect His goodness and grace.
 
I Corinthians 3:18 says, “And we all with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His image with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
 
According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, to contemplate something means “to think carefully or deeply about something.”
 
The surest way to any transformation is the way we think. We can be transformed for the better or for the worse depending on who or what we contemplate.
 
How often do we contemplate...
The “what ifs” and worst-case scenarios and become filled with anxiety?
How we’ve been wronged and find ourselves bitter and filled with unforgiveness?
Everything our marriage is not and find our marriage degrading into further turmoil?
How we’ve messed up with our kids and fallen into further burdensome shame?
On what others have (or have not) in comparison to us and become envious or prideful?
 
The truth is, we become like who or what we behold. The surest way to become who God originally created us to be is to spend our time looking in the right direction. When we look to Him, our perspective begins to change to what is true. When we look at the wrong things, we begin to believe lies rather than truth (much like what happened with my hair situation.)
 
What if, instead of the negative, we began to contemplate…
God who is with us no matter what life holds for us?
God who loves us, defines who we are, and is the defender of our hearts?
God who fights with us for the good and restoration of relationships?
God who is our Forgiver and the Lifter of our heads?
God who is the One who loves to satisfy us with Himself and teaches us to walk in humility?
 
As Christ-followers, we should be becoming a little more like Jesus each day. Today, take special notice of what your mind is focusing on. Are they thoughts of comparison, shame, or pride? Or are they thoughts towards Jesus, His truth, His perfection, and His glory?
 
If we begin to find ourselves wandering towards old ways of thinking, let’s turn our focus back and contemplate the God Who is with us, fighting for us and bigger than any situation we could ever face.
 

​I didn’t realize it then, but this mission can be summed up in one of the most familiar prayers of all time; a prayer that Jesus Himself invited us to pray. The “Lord’s Prayer” is spoken far and wide, but when we really dig in, we find there is enough power to change our lives in the first two verses alone.
 
“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name...’” 
 
This prayer is a beautiful invitation into a different kind of life than the common self-reliant life most of us live. ‘Hallowed’ is a bit of an ancient word, but a synonym for the word is the word ‘honored.’ When we honor His name, we honor all of who He is. He is Provider, Healer, Friend, Banner (Victory), Shepherd, Peace, Refuge, Present, Righteousness, Holy, Love, and so much more.
 
Can you imagine if we rehearsed who He is every single day in this prayer? I imagine our fears would be calmed, our trust would deepen, we would be inwardly at rest and our identity would become fixed in Him. Focusing on God shifts perspective, gives courage and promotes love. It changes who we are and in turn changes how we live. Looking at Him paves the way for the next verse.
 
“‘...your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’”
 
When we pray these words, we are asking for His Kingdom ways to infiltrate the earth. It can feel overwhelming to pray this until we realize His ‘Kingdom come’ is simply the result of individuals living differently. When we live with a “Your Kingdom come, your will be done” mentality, we begin to live our days on mission. We want HIS will to be done, not our own. This kind of heart changes our actions. We don’t get to choose other’s choices, but we always get to choose ours.
 
His ‘Kingdom come’ in our lives may look like…
 
Handling a temper tantrum with grace
Responding well when offended
Staying up late speaking life to a hurting friend
Welcoming others into our home with open arms
 
How many of the most important moments of Jesus’ ministry were, at the time, seemingly small and inconsequential? What if ‘His Kingdom come’ isn’t always a splashy moment in time, but a display of His grace, love and kindness in our hard world? What if like our friend’s home, our homes become a refuge, a sanctuary of sorts where His Kingdom ways are operating more and more?
 
What if we lived like that wherever we find ourselves? Never perfect, but always growing.
 
Father, who is above and over all, honored be your name. May YOUR kingdom come, YOUR will be done, in our lives and in our homes as it is in Heaven today.

​
​Growing up, I was a sticker on a chart sort of girl. Little rows of boxes filled with shiny stars marking perfect attendance, good behavior, and recited verses motivated me to continue.
 
When I entered motherhood, mental charts replaced physical ones:
 
Patience today? Sorry, no sticker!
 
Kindness? There were a couple moments...
 
Peace? If you count laying down in the middle of the chaos imagining myself at the beach, then I guess yes.

Clean house?
Time for husband?
Time for friends?
Time for other important things?
 
I had a spiritual chart too. Enough Bible study, prayer, serving? I was never quite sure. Every night I bemoaned the missing stickers on my chart, and I was sure God was disappointed too. 
 
The problem was, I was trying to work my way to God instead of living from what Jesus had already done. Instead of living my life IN Him, I was trying to live my life to get TO Him. Those two ways of living are worlds apart.
 
As we read in Exodus, the Israelites frequently found themselves in the same predicament. They witnessed God part the Red Sea, then lead them as a shading cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. He provided manna for them to eat, and even made water pour out of a rock. God had been tender towards them, telling Moses to remind them in Exodus 19:4 that He had carried them on eagle’s wings and brought them to Himself.  His purpose in delivering them was for them to be with Him. This always was and still is God’s heart. He has always wanted to do life with us, since the Garden of Eden.
 
In Exodus 20:1-17 God gives Moses the Ten Commandments. These laws were an invitation to live a different kind of life— a life of wholeness and holiness. A life in good relationship with both people and God… and isn’t that what we all truly want?
 
Two times the Israelites declare, with all the gusto of good intention, “We will do everything the Lord has said!” However, the people found themselves in a place of wanting to do the right thing, but continually failing. They constantly teetered between faithfulness and faithlessness, leading to more sin and frustration.
 
Their good intentions weren’t enough. (They never are!) The Israelites desperately needed something else— a Savior.
 
Jesus came to fulfill what we could not. Because of Jesus, we no longer just do the right things outwardly, but become the right kind of people. Perfection is no longer required because He is perfect.
 
In Hebrews 4:14-16, we are told Jesus is our great high priest who sympathizes with our every weakness. We are invited to come to His throne of grace where we will find kindness, forgiveness, hope and mercy. We don’t have to wait for the right time, the right place, the right person or the right ceremony. He is near us, beside us and walking with us no matter what our day looks like.
 
Living from what He’s already accomplished, we can come to Him readily, even on no-sticker days, knowing He loves us and always wants us close to Him.