Betsy Duffey's Blog

There is a glowing spot

of radiance inside of you.

Rest your hands over your heart.

Outside your body

may be wasting away.

Gravity, time and

disease take a toll.

But inside of you,

your soul is alive.

Radiant.

Eternal.

Today remember the glow of life

that God has placed in you.

It cannot be diminished.

Our bodies hold us in this world.

But our souls

are made for eternity.

Rest your hands

on your heart often.

Remember the glow.

Remember you

are made for eternity.

You will survive.

Therefore we do not lose heart.

Though outwardly we are wasting away,

yet inwardly we are being

renewed day by day.

Surely God would not have

created such a being as man

to exist only for a day!

No, no, man was made for

immortality.

Breathe.

Slow down.

Be a sheep.

Follow the Shepherd.

Go into your day slowly,

intentionally.

Be aware of following God.

Not running ahead.

No frantic racing.

Trusting Him to lead.

Breathing.

Slowing down.

Letting go of anxious thoughts.

The Shepherd knows the way.

He has your best interests at heart.

Today if you find yourself rushing,

come back to this exercise.

Breathe.

Slow down.

Be a sheep.

Let God lead you.

Slowly.

Psalm 23 does not say,

“The Lord is my shepherd,

therefore I gotta run faster.”

Shepherds rarely run.

Good ones anyway.

The Lord is my shepherd,

I shall not be in want.

Are there things

that you can’t understand?

We see suffering in the world.

Pain in the lives of our friends.

Struggles in our own families.

Confusion in ourselves.

Why?

So many things are

beyond our understanding.

Can we change

the “Why?” To “But”?

There is suffering…

But God is with us in it.

There is pain…

But God cries with us.

There are struggles…

But God fights for us.

There is confusion…

But we are not alone in it.

Focus today

on that little word

but. . .

Even if you

can’t understand why.

Faith is in that

coordinating conjunction

“but.”

But I trusted

in your steadfast love.

There is an empty place

inside of each of us.

What do you

try to fill your

empty place with?

More clothes?

More shoes?

More chocolate?

More money?

More things?

There is never enough.

Sit still.

Imagine God

filling your empty place

with His love.

All other things

just become things.

God is enough.

God alone is enough.

I have learned the secret

of being content

in any and every situation,

whether well fed or hungry,

whether living in plenty or in want.

I can do all this through him

who gives me strength.

Take time to be still.

To breathe slowly.

Think of a favorite name of Jesus.

Shepherd.

Bridegroom.

Teacher.

Deliverer.

Breathe in your name of Jesus.

Breathe out the words:

Love me.

Shepherd...Love me.

Bridegroom…Love me.

Teacher…Love me.

Deliverer…Love me.

Jesus…Love me.

Breathe this prayer often today.

It is a prayer that Jesus will answer.

He loves you.

I am the good shepherd;

I know my sheep

and my sheep know me.

Looking back, I find it remarkable how

easily I accepted ideas about God as

substitutes for direct experience of him.

It took me a long time to begin

to know God through my heart

and not simply my head.

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Let’s go back in time.

Back before you

were hurt by the world.

You are a small child – dearly loved

by God who created you.

Wrap your arms around yourself.

Love yourself as a small child.

Tell your child-self

how wonderful you are.

Dear.

Precious.

Unique.

Loved by God.

Tell your adult-self those same words.

You are wonderful.

Dear.

Precious.

Unique.

You are loved by God.

It is true.

The Lord appeared to us

in the past, saying:

“I have loved you with an

everlasting love;

I have drawn you with

loving kindness.”

The spiritual life starts at the moment you

can go beyond all the wounds and claim

that there was a love that was

perfect and unlimited, long before

that perfect love became

reflected in the imperfect

and limited love of people.

The spiritual life starts where

you dare to claim the first love.

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In an unstable world

where do you find stability?

Consider these

descriptions of God:

Rock

 Fortress

Foundation

Peace

Stability

Hope

Protector

Choose one word

to take with you today.

When you are drawn

 toward fear for your family,

your nation, your world.

Remember,

there is One who is stable,

 secure, and unchanging.

Hold on to your word and your God.

He will love you and keep you.

God is my rock.

He is ever present in times of trouble.

 He is my fortress. He is the one

under whose wings I can shelter,

when I feel overwhelmed.

 He is the stability of my times!

The Lord is exalted,

for he dwells on high . . .

he will be the stability

of your times.

Think of a camera lens.

Click.

In one click it captures

a beautiful image.

It saves an image

to be enjoyed and held later.

As you move through your day

take that lens with you.

See what in you day is beautiful.

The morning sky

Light reflecting through the trees.

A face that you love.

Steam from your coffee.

Click.

Capture that image

in your mind and hold onto it.

Come back to it

throughout the day

and savor the wonder.

Fill your mind

with wonder.

I believe the world

 is incomprehensibly beautiful –

an endless prospect

 of magic and wonder.

And amazement seized them all,

and they glorified God

and were filled with awe, saying,

“We have seen extraordinary things today.”

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Who do you love?

Bring to mind people you love.

Friends.

Family.

Writers.

Neighbors.

What do you love?

Bring to mind things you love.

Sunflowers.

Gingerbread.

Fall leaves.

Art.

What places do you love?

Bring them to mind.

The mountains.

The beach.

A park.

Your home.

You were made to love.

God is Love.

I cannot help thinking

that the best way of knowing God

is to love many things.

Love this friend, this person,

this thing, whatever you like,

and you will be on the right road

to understanding Him better,

that is what I keep telling myself.

So we have come to know

and to believe the love

that God has for us.

God is love,

and whoever abides in love

abides in God,

and God abides in him.

Have you made

new year’s resolutions.

What do you resolve to do this year?

Write a book?

Lose 20 pounds?

Pay off your debts?

What if you shifted your

resolutions from doing to being?

Resolve to be kinder.

To be gentler.

To be braver.

To be more compassionate.

To be bolder.

To be more loving.

More encouraging.

Could this year be different?

Could you be different?

Man looks at the outward appearance,

but the LORD looks at the heart.

We must be careful with our lives,

for Christ's sake, because

it would seem that they are

the only lives we are going to have

in this puzzling and perilous world,

and so they are very precious

and what we do with them

matters enormously.