some comfort and joy

Time for Joy: Responding with Compassion (Psalm 23)

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil, for you are with me.” -Psalm 23:4

So much pain in our lives comes from trying to control things that we have no control over. Ultimately we can only control our own behaviors. While we can’t choose what happens to us or even how we feel about the things that come our way, we can choose how we will respond.

As you navigate the day, pay attention to your responses to problems and stressors that arise. What emotions are stirred? What is your impulse? In these moments of consideration, pause with compassion for yourself. Before responding to the person or email, consider your response. Who do you want to be in this interaction?

In the midst of fear and frustration, may I find compassion and peace, O God. Anchor and guide me showing up as the person I long to be. Amen.

We hope this brings you some comfort and joy! You can spread the joy by liking, commenting and sharing this post with others. Be sure to subscribe and never miss a post.

Some Comfort and Joy was developed as a devotional resource that follows the rhythms and seasons of the liturgical year from an Anabaptist-Mennonite perspective.

Time for Comfort: I’ve Got 99 Problems (Psalm 23)

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1

Not unlike the list of things to do in my life, the list of problems is unending. But this is the stuff of life. Our lives are full of problems to be solved, or not solved as the case may be. Problems, and the desire to solve them, actually bring meaning to our lives. In his book 4,000 Weeks Oliver Burkeman points out that it is not the existence of problems that should trouble us but instead our drive to solve them immediately.

This can all get heady pretty quickly! But we can probably all agree that problems are a part of life. Additionally, some problems may benefit from thoughtful reflection more than from quick, forward action towards resolution.

Psalm 23 reminds us that God is with us for the journey. The faithful shepherd will guide whether we are in throws of a tough problem or in one of life’s more gentle spots. This Psalm doesn’t promise no problems, instead it gives the sure promise of God’s abiding presence.

Good Shepherd, Thank you for Your guiding and sustaining presence. We believe you are with us despite the problems that surround us. We ask for wisdom as we seek resolution to the struggles we face today. May we permit Your good timing and Your Holy Spirit in the midst of each day. AMEN

Time for Joy: In the now (James 4:14)

“Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring.” James 4:14

This week make some time to focus on being present in the moment. Try out one of these practices:

At a moment when you have space to think slowly, review your five senses. What do I smell right now? What am I touching and how does it feel? What noises surround me? Is there a taste in my mouth/what is it? What do I see? Take a little time to be grateful for this moment and your body’s ability to enjoy it!
At a stressful moment in your week try some box breathing.

Picture drawing a box in your mind. As you draw the first side of the box, breathe in slowly. Draw the second side and hold your breath. As you draw the next side, exhale slowly. On the fourth and final side, wait. Then start again with a slow inhale, redrawing the first side of your square.

Remember, God is with you in this stressful moment. Repeat as needed!

We hope this brings you some comfort and joy! You can spread the joy by liking, commenting and sharing this post with others. Be sure to subscribe and never miss a post.

Some Comfort and Joy was developed as a devotional resource that follows the rhythms and seasons of the liturgical year from an Anabaptist-Mennonite perspective.

Time for Comfort: Tomorrow, Tomorrow and Tomorrow (James 4:14)

“Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring.” -James 4:14

“Anticipation is half the realization,” my grandma once told me when I inquired why she was so opposed to surprises. My maternal grandmother was a wonderful and warm woman. A hard worker and prayer warrior, I don’t think she knew a stranger! While many decades and miles apart, she always made the effort to connect with me and my sisters. We still giggle about the time she asked if we had read anything that “really pinned us down” lately.

“He’s so heavenly minded, he’s no earthly good!” was another saying of hers. While perhaps intended as a softened insult, we all know people who are so focused on things outside of the present moment, they miss the gifts and opportunities of the now.

Whether trying to protect myself from anxiety or because I am saddled with a “type a” personality, I can so easily get wrapped up in running scenarios about future possibilities and preparing for the next thing that I miss out on the goodness of my immediate circumstances.

In her journals, my Grandmother would jot notes about the meals she ate or the people she saw on a given day. While she had 93 years of anticipation and realization, she lived each day with joy and gratitude for what it was. She understood we are not guaranteed any amount of time or ability on earth. Each day is truly a gift. May we embrace it as such.

Generous God, May I anticipate with hope a joyful future while being grateful for the goodness of this day. Amen.

We hope this brings you some comfort and joy! You can spread the joy by liking, commenting and sharing this post with others. Be sure to subscribe and never miss a post.

Some Comfort and Joy was developed as a devotional resource that follows the rhythms and seasons of the liturgical year from an Anabaptist-Mennonite perspective.

Time for Joy: Soul Care (Luke 10:38-42)

“…you are worried and distracted by many things, but few things are needed…” -Luke 10:41-42

Any number of tasks and to-dos vie for our time and energy. Often the things that bring us joy, sustain our hope or even meet our own basic needs get pushed to the bottom of the priority list. Making space for things that seem luxurious may seem impossible when showering, sitting down to eat a meal, or finishing your coffee when it is still hot is a rarity!

Today take time to do one thing that connects you with the Divine. Whether it is bundling up for a nature walk, taking extra time to journal or meeting up with a spiritual friend, prioritize the needful thing today.

We hope this brings you some comfort and joy! You can spread the joy by liking, commenting and sharing this post with others. Be sure to subscribe and never miss a post.

Some Comfort and Joy was developed as a devotional resource that follows the rhythms and seasons of the liturgical year from an Anabaptist-Mennonite perspective.

Time for Comfort: The Lie of Efficiency (Luke 10:41-42a)

“But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing.’” Luke 10: 41-42a

Have you ever noticed the irony that technology brings into our lives? The faster things can be done the more we do. The more we do, the more new things are created to fill our time.

Sometimes it is hard to step back and decide what is the most worthwhile way to spend our time.

I believe the little things of life are holy. That our day-to-day tasks change in their tenor depending on our attitude. The lie of efficiency is that if we can just get things done more quickly, we will have more time for a peaceful existence. Instead of just trying to get through our lists, we need to learn to find peace and joy in the things before us. We need to examine our heart-set and figure out what actually “needs” to be done.

Jesus was attuned to Martha’s heart. Perhaps Jesus knew she would rather be sitting at his feet, but her pride in her own homemaking was preventing her from making that choice. As always, Jesus is asking us as well, where our hearts are.

Jesus, Teach us how to follow you with acceptance and humility. May our own to-do lists be viewed, as much as possible, with Your eyes. Grant us joy in our daily living. AMEN

We hope this brings you some comfort and joy! You can spread the joy by liking, commenting and sharing this post with others. Be sure to subscribe and never miss a post.

Some Comfort and Joy was developed as a devotional resource that follows the rhythms and seasons of the liturgical year from an Anabaptist-Mennonite perspective.

Time for Joy: Facing our Limits (Genesis 1:14-15)

“And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.’ And it was so.” -Genesis 1:14-15

Acknowledging that we are mortal beings and therefore have limitations can be difficult to accept. Sure we say we know we won’t live forever but actually living it out can be quite the reckoning.

Take some time to write and reflect this week on one or more of these questions:

Have you ever acted like you can do it “all”? Think of a time when you tried to do “all the things” by yourself.
While it might feel powerful sometimes to do things on your own, what are the advantages of admitting you can’t do it all?
Imagine an overwhelming situation that you have been in or are in. How does that situation make you feel? What words describe how you are functioning in that situation? What would it look like to admit you can’t do it all? How would that feel?

We hope this brings you some comfort and joy! You can spread the joy by liking, commenting and sharing this post with others. Be sure to subscribe and never miss a post.

Some Comfort and Joy was developed as a devotional resource that follows the rhythms and seasons of the liturgical year from an Anabaptist-Mennonite perspective.

Time for Comfort: Facing Our Limits (Genesis 1:14-15)

The sky’s the limit!

You can have it all.

Just work harder.

The Western aphorisms around success and hustle culture encourage us to deny any sort of limits. Workaholism, busy-ness and self-sacrifice to the point of ill health are traits that are lauded and rewarded. And yet our human nature is defined by its limits. We spend a third of our lives sleeping! The limitations that come with a body– the need for rest and the physical aging process– are part of how we are created. In ordering the world, God imposed limits. The very creation of the world involved containing the chaos.

As you bump up against various types of limits in your day today– as the alarm clock blares, stop lights turn red, school hours end, the sun sets, your energy wanes– pause in thanks for finitude. For it is the limits of our human experience that give our lives their deepest meaning.

Creative Spirit who orders the chaos, may I find rest, peace and joy in the limits of my life.

We hope this brings you some comfort and joy! You can spread the joy by liking, commenting and sharing this post with others. Be sure to subscribe and never miss a post.

Some Comfort and Joy was developed as a devotional resource that follows the rhythms and seasons of the liturgical year from an Anabaptist-Mennonite perspective.

Time for Joy: Priorities (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

“For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven.” -Ecclesiastes 3:1

While the advent of modern conveniences was to make life easier for us, the lived reality has been that instead of increased free time, we now expect to be able to accomplish more things within the given hours of a day.

In recognition of the truism, when everything is a priority, nothing is priority, in 2022 I committed to a new ritual. On the first day of each new month I took a few minutes to review my calendar:

What did I know the weeks would hold?
What had I committed to?
What was most important to me in the coming month?

Out of those questions, I would list 2-3 priorities for the month. If these things got done, I had done well, I decided. At first it was challenging to limit myself to just a few items. But, that discipline reminded me that I really cannot prioritize everything I might want to. With more than 14 index cards taped into my journal, I now see that what was once a challenging discipline is now a freeing gift that honors the limits of my time and prioritizes my intentions.

We hope this brings you some comfort and joy! You can spread the joy by liking, commenting and sharing this post with others. Be sure to subscribe and never miss a post.

Some Comfort and Joy was developed as a devotional resource that follows the rhythms and seasons of the liturgical year from an Anabaptist-Mennonite perspective.

Time for Comfort: There is never enough (Ecclesiastes 1:9)

“What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9

Let’s face it, our culture is infatuated with busy-ness. It is easy to be sucked in. We stack our days full of activities. For many of us the worth we assign ourselves is directly tied to how much we are able to accomplish in a given day. We often ask, “So what do you do?”

I recently heard a young woman recount how she was encouraged by her counselor to skip all her college classes for the day. She did and was forced to admit that the world kept spinning and some of her teachers didn’t even notice. The point the counselor was trying to make had to do with her own pride in pursuing tasks and staying busy.

It takes self examination, for many of us again and again, to be able to separate the things we do from our experience of worth. Accomplishments in life and meaningful work are important! But what freedom and joy would we have if our tasks flowed out of a deep acknowledgment of God’s unconditional love, rather than out of an effort to prove ourselves worthy?

Oh Divine Teacher, That we would love You more deeply and somehow understand Your abiding love of each of us, just as we are.
AMEN

We hope this brings you some comfort and joy! You can spread the joy by liking, commenting and sharing this post with others. Be sure to subscribe and never miss a post.

Some Comfort and Joy was developed as a devotional resource that follows the rhythms and seasons of the liturgical year from an Anabaptist-Mennonite perspective.