Last fall when it was time for it to come in, it seemed to be struggling a bit, so we took a sample down to the local garden centre. The owner diagnosed it as having a disease common to these plants that can be outside. He said that there was no treatment for it.

But he had no idea how much this plant meant to us. We did a bit of research and changed the soil, but it continued to deteriorate. By January of this year, it had no leaves; it was just a trunk with branches. We admitted defeat and put it outside for the remainder of the winter. We live in Canada, with snow and very cold winter temperatures. When spring came, we figured that it was time to dispose of it. I started to cut it back and put it into bags. My husband said that I should leave the trunk for now.

About two weeks later, the trunk started to show green leaves. We were ecstatic. We moved it back to the garden for the summer, and I am happy to report that we just brought it back into the house this fall. It has a long way to go to regain the growth it once had, but with time and nurture, we will see flowers from this plant again.

As I reflect on this, I am reminded of the times when Jesus saw life in people when no one else did. At times, even His disciples were unable to see what He saw. Jesus saw the faith of a paralyzed man and his friends who lowered him through the roof to Jesus. Jesus saw Matthew, the tax collector turned disciple. Then in the midst of a crowd, a bleeding woman touched just His cloak and found herself healed. When the people came to hear Him preach the good news and receive healing, Jesus saw them with a shepherd's eye:

Matthew 9:36 – When he saw the crowds, he felt compassion for them because they were distressed and dejected, like a sheep without a shepherd. (CSB)

It is so easy for us to see a person or a circumstance and make a negative judgement call, but what if we took our view from what Jesus sees? And what about you when your life seems to show no hope and needs life? What possibilities does Jesus see in you?

Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank You that You came for us to have abundant life. Thank You that even though others can see no hope in people and situations, we have a God Who sees life in everything. Help us to be close in relationship with You, Who always sees life in us. In Your name, we pray. Amen.

We called our sons after they finished work to see if they wanted to join us. We started the boat to make our way back to pick them up from our dock, but as my husband put the boat into drive, it would not engage. I called our sons, and they said that they would launch the other boat at the marina slip and tow us back.

It was about this time that we noticed that both our phone batteries were getting low, and we had not brought cords to recharge them. The boys called us from the marina slip to say that the propeller would not lower into the water. Using video chat, my husband talked them through what to do, and then his phone died. After a quick switch to my phone, the call resumed, but immediately went dead.

By now, the sun was beginning to set. We both sat looking towards the horizon for any sign of a boat. I prayed, but felt calm, which is not my usual, natural state during a crisis, especially in the boat.

It seemed like an eternity until we saw the boat. Tow rope attached, we slowly made our way to the dock. We still had a task to get the boat released from the tow rope and into the dock without power. The calm waters remained, and we were able to complete the task. The sun had now set and we still had to take the other boat back across the lake and through the channel to the marina slip, about a 15-minute boat ride in the dark. Again, mission accomplished on the calm waters.

As I reflected on the day, I remembered that I had prayed, "Lord, send help." "Lord, help the boat to start." "Lord, help our sons to launch the boat to come and get us." As I spent time in prayer the next morning, the Lord showed me that He had answered my prayers, not in what I had prayed for, but in the calm waters and in the comfort and calmness that comes from my relationship with Him amidst the crisis. This prompted me to reflect on the first verse of Psalm 20.

Psalm 20:1 – May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. (NIV)

How often we don't see the hand of the Lord in situations! The Lord showed me through my time in prayer that we can trust Him to answer our prayers in a way that He sees the need to be. Can you trust Him to do that?

Prayer: Dear Jesus, we cannot thank You enough for Your care and love for us. Help us in all situations to draw closer to You. In Your name, we pray. Amen.

A friend of mine shared the following with me, and it really resonated with me.

When I got home from Europe, I noticed that the barn swallows had built a nest. The fledglings were gone, but they left such a mess. So, when they started to come back, I removed the nest, and then the fight began. When they began to rebuild, I cleaned out their mud and tried everything to dissuade them. Nothing worked, so I decided to let them build. But I worked out an arrangement. A pail for their mess hangs just below their nest. Lesson learned: sometimes you need to re-think your tactics.

Paul gives us an insight into how this is to work in our lives:

Ephesians 4:22-24 – You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (NIV)

How often we stick to our own way and avoid changing our route and plan or side-step God's will for our life! We think that we know the easy way or the fastest way, and we stick to our plan, regardless of what others may say or whether we are certain that we know the right way. We even refuse to seek the will of God even though in our heart we know that's what we must do.

Before I was saved, I certainly thought that I had all the answers and knew how life worked. It wasn't until I was saved in my 30s that I realized that I needed to re-think my tactics that were not working. I had to come to the end of self in order to allow God to continue to do a good work in my life. I must admit that I can still be stubborn and fail to turn my ways over to Him.

The changed life stems from the transformation that God works in us through the gospel as we put off the old life, are renewed in our minds, and put on the new life in Christ. We need to live in that transformation consistently so that others clearly see an example of what God can do for them.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, help us to continue to walk in the lessons that You have given to us in Your Word. We want Your changes in our lives to be an example to others, and this begins with our thinking. Help us in this so that we may become more like You every day. In Your name, we pray. Amen.

For a project to work on, my husband and son bought a boat. Some of the seating was worn and needed replacing. Knowing that I do quilting and sewing, they wondered if this were something that I could do. After doing a bit of research, I decided to give it a try. My husband went to the marina and was able to get a free cushion so that I could have a sample for a practice test cushion.

First, I removed the piping that was around the base of the cushion. Then, I removed the staples holding the vinyl cover to the bottom layer of plywood. Inside, there seemed like no end to the layers of plastic foam that had to be removed. As I worked at this, I pondered the importance of using the free cushion as my example rather than the original cushion. This allowed me the freedom to figure it out without jeopardizing the original cushion.

Likewise, when Jesus came to earth, He gave us the free gift of salvation in Him, and He also gave us the freedom to make choices and figure things out without jeopardizing His original gift to us.

As I removed each piece in the free boat cushion, I saw how everything fit together to create it. As I look back on my life, I can see that God has been there at every step in my walk of life. Even though I may have thought that the pieces didn't matter, God knew the outcome, and He knew that each piece fitted together perfectly.

Hebrews 12:1-2a – Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. (NIV)

It would have been so easy to use the original cushion and go for it without a plan, which is what I tend to do at times. In the planning, however, I learned a lot, and, yes, it took more time, but in the long run, it will result in a cushion that resembles the original. In the same way, our Christian walk is about making the right choices and following God's plan for our life. Our goal in everything that we do is to become more like Jesus, our example, and that takes dedication on our part. Let us strive each day in our walk to become more like Jesus.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank You that You are the author and perfecter of our faith. Continue to help us in our daily walk to become more like You. Help us also to come alongside others who are struggling and show them Your love. In Your name, we pray. Amen.

My mom passed away two years ago this July. We had seen her rally in the day prior to her passing. In my heart, I knew that this was a gift to be cherished. As we chatted with the nurse and my mom shared stories about my growing up, we had lots of laughs. This rally was short-lived, and less than 23 hours later, we watched her take her last breath. We prayed and listened to worship music in those final minutes.

Nothing — and I mean nothing — could have prepared me for the next steps. A nurse came in after a short time and handed me a bunch of leaflets on grief. She said, "Take as much time as you need," and then, she left. As we walked out of the Intensive Care Unit, in that moment, it became evident to me that all around me, life was going on. No one said a word as we left; they just went on about their work. I can still hear the words that I said to my husband as I clutched the papers that I had been given: "I came here with my mom and I'm leaving with a handful of papers and not my mom. It's not fair."

The next days and weeks were filled with all of the necessary tasks after someone passes: the cards, the condolences, and all that one expects to move through.

A friend recently posted something by an unknown author that really resonated with me: Grief is like living two lives. One is where you feel and pretend that everything is all right, and the other is where your heart silently screams in pain.

I know that what I am experiencing is similar to that of anyone else, as grief finds us all. It catches us in the memories during the first special occasions in that first year, a certain smell, or a word from someone.

I know that my heart has been changed for the better through this journey. Awareness of my own grief has given me insight into the grief that others are experiencing. Although everyone processes grief differently, I now realize that coming alongside the grief of others is important, for that is where we can shine the love of Jesus into other people's lives.

Romans 12:15 – Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. (NIV)

Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank You for the hope that we have in You. Help us to reach out to others in times of grief. Thank You that You comfort us in our time of need, even when it seems that You are so far away. In Your name, we pray, Amen.

Psalm 92:12-14 – The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green. (NIV)

Both palm trees and cedar trees grow tall and strong and have long lives. Cedar trees can reach a height of 120 feet or more, and they symbolize strength and greatness. In the Middle East, palm trees produce dates, and they are stately and beautiful, symbolizing triumph and victory. They have extensive fibrous roots reaching in all directions, so they can flourish even in the desert.

Unlike the trees, we are not held to one location. In fact, in our Lord's great commission, He instructed us to "go and make disciples of all nations". In order to flourish as we make disciples, like the trees, we need to be well rooted in our relationship with the Lord.

Colossians 2:6-7 – So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. (NIV)

These deep roots are vital to our ability to share the Word of God with others, and they allow us the confidence and ability to do the work that Jesus has commissioned us to do.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank You for Your Word, for the more that we delve into it, the more riches that we discover. Jesus, we thank You that You are alive in us. Help us to continue to flourish and to spread Your love to a lost and hurting world. In Your name, we pray. Amen.

As I begin each day, I try to keep this passage at the forefront of my mind. I admit that on some days, I am better at this than on others.

On this particular day, I had made the last payment on my car, and all the paperwork was done. I was elated not to have car payments anymore. However, as my husband and I drove home that day, one of the hottest days of the year, it soon became apparent that the air conditioning was not working. The car soon became warm, and my elated heart began to be deflated as I thought, What is this going to cost? I know that air conditioning diagnosis and repairs can be very costly. As I mulled this over, my husband suddenly said, "It is probably just the cabin air filter," to which my thoughts were still, Yeah, right! That would be too easy a fix. When we got home, he said, "If I am right, we need to wait and let the condenser defrost. It froze from the clogged cabin air filter." I removed the cabin air filter, and, yes, it was dirty, but I still did not have a lot of hope. We had lunch and then I went back out and started the car with the dirty filter lying on the floor of the car. Much to my surprise, the air conditioner began pumping out cold air. A new cabin air filter is installed, and I am good to go.

How is it that one moment we can be so elated and the next feel so deflated? As believers, we should be able to take our thoughts captive. Why is it that at times we can so easily lose sight of this? As I mull it over, I am reminded that even Moses, who walked very closely with the Lord, often felt defeated.

Numbers 11:11 – He asked the Lord, "Why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me?" (NIV)

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (NIV)

If we follow this advice in situations such as I faced, our whole outlook will change, and we will be saved a lot of stress and undue worry.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, we are sorry for the times when our flesh takes over and we stray from the hope that we have in You. Help us in our times of unbelief and when we feel deflated. Help us to show the world the hope that we have in You and in the things unseen. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.