Wellness Wednesday Let Yourself Be Surprised by God “God is able to do much more than we could ever ask him for, or even think about. He does this by his power that is working in us.” Ephesians 3:20 (EASY) Family, Can I encourage you today? I think one of the healthiest things we can do is remain WEopen to being pleasantly surprised by God. Because life has a way of making us think we’ve already seen our best days. We’ve experienced certain joys. We’ve reached certain milestones. We’ve had certain relationships. We’ve lived through certain seasons. And without realizing it, we quietly put limitations on our future. We stop expecting. We stop anticipating. We stop imagining. But Ephesians 3:20 reminds us that our God is not limited by our imagination. He is able to do much more than we could ever ask for or even think about. Whew. That means there are experiences you have not experienced yet. Prayers you haven’t seen answered yet. Opportunities you haven’t encountered yet. Relationships you haven’t built yet. Peace you haven’t felt yet. Laughter you haven’t laughed yet. Memories you haven’t created yet. Places you haven’t been yet. Versions of yourself you haven’t met yet. Family, there is still life ahead of you. There is still joy ahead of you. There is still goodness ahead of you. God is not finished being good to you. He’s not finished opening doors. He’s not finished restoring. He’s not finished healing. He’s not finished providing. He’s not finished exceeding your expectations. Sometimes we become so familiar with our current chapter that we forget God is still writing the story. And because He is still writing, there are pages we haven’t read. There are blessings we haven’t seen. There are prayers we haven’t watched unfold. There are miracles that haven’t arrived. There are moments that will make us laugh, cry, celebrate, and stand in awe of His goodness. Family, one of the most beautiful ways to live is with holy anticipation.

https://www.odbm.org/en-GB/devotional/devotional-category/praying-to-grow?ts=1782777600000

https://abide.com/prayer/pq8olz

Motivation Monday The Power of Surrender “Father, if you want, you can save me from this time of great pain. But I do not ask you to do what I want. Do what you want to do.” Luke 22:42 (EASY) Family, Can I be honest? I have learned something about surrender. Surrender is not always dramatic. Sometimes there are no tears. No big announcements. No emotional breakdown. Sometimes surrender is quiet. Sometimes it sounds like: “I don’t understand this, but I’m at peace.” “I wish it were different, but I’m at peace.” “I would have chosen another outcome, but I’m at peace.” “I cannot change this, so I release it.” There comes a point in maturity where you become tired of wrestling with things you cannot control. Tired of asking why. Tired of replaying conversations. Tired of trying to force answers. Tired of trying to figure everything out. Tired of trying to hold together things that are no longer yours to hold. And something in you simply says: “God, I trust You.” Not because you got the answer. Not because everything worked out. Not because the pain disappeared. But because you have learned that peace is found in acceptance, not control. I think many of us misunderstand surrender. We think surrender means giving up. We think surrender means weakness. We think surrender means we no longer care. But surrender is none of those things. Surrender is trust. It is saying: “God, I care deeply, but I trust You more.” “God, this matters to me, but I trust You more.” “God, this hurts, but I trust You more.” “God, I would have written this story differently, but I trust You more.” Jesus understood this. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He was in a time of great pain. He knew what was ahead. He understood the cost. And yet His prayer was: “Father, if you want, you can save me from this time of great pain. But I do not ask you to do what I want. Do what you want to do.” Whew. Jesus never denied His feelings. He never pretended the pain wasn’t real.

https://www.odbm.org/en/devotionals/devotional-category/sweeter-than-honey-9612?ts=1782604800000