Take time to meditate on the picture above from Sarah Young’s calendar based on her book Jesus Calling. It is a gift to us for March. 

This may seem like a delightful expression of generosity by Sarah from our God. 

However, Gifts are not always what they suggest themselves to be – the gift inside can hold so much more than it’s wrappings allow us to know. I believe that God’s gift above offers more depth than perhaps the day or the coming of spring. Certainly a gift to give praise for, make no mistake. I merely believe that he gifts us with so much more. 

His gift is for us to know that he is always present and we are always supposed to be learning; to grow in our faith, and that perhaps this small promise of Spring above might really mean a deeper life with Him. Maybe it holds a completely new and unforeseen season in the journey for you personally. Only you and God truly know your life, so stay close would be my gentle encouragement. 

Today I watched a YouTube video spoken by Maya Angelou on learning. (She was a renowned and treasured American poet, writer, actor, speaker and so much more.) Parts of it were hard to hear but I try to be mindful to remember that some who listen to it may indeed identify with even the hardest parts. So do not close your ears, instead open your hearts. Her wisdom is beautiful and amazing. You may go to YouTube.com and search ‘Maya Angelou on learning’ to listen to her powerful words. 

Whether you search her out or not – what is important is that she calls us to keep learning. Even though she became mute from trauma at the age of 7 and remained so for 5 years, she spent that time learning. Warning! One of the side effects of learning can be change. Do not fear – move forward and onward. My daughter in law, Michele, shared a sticker with me that she had bought for herself but upon pondering felt that ‘Mom needed one too.’ Indeed I did! I read it frequently. 

The sticker says: Change is hard, but we can do hard things. 

Indeed we can! We need to call on God to help us be brave and, yes, we’ll even do brave with fear as a companion, so that we can lean into the hard things, go through instead of around. Forged and healed by a fire that may cause us great pain but will not consume us. Not if you call God alongside you – for God has promised he will not let the fire consume us. (Check out the beginning verses of Isaiah 43.) 

To travel with our most important companion is not called cheating it or trying a dodge that is called beating it or living with God! 

Indeed we can!

Be ready to learn where you can and when you can and go forth a changed person, a better person in and for God, the one who loves us. 

~Shauna Weil

A devotion provided by the Devotion Ministry of Goodrich UMC