Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.   Hebrews 13:8
 
 
It is a beautiful day. Looking up, the colorful castle gleams in the sunlight. Even Disney couldn’t create a mosaic masterpiece such as this! The bus takes us up the extremely steep incline to the top for our tour of the Palácio Nacional da Pena, near Lisbon, Portugal. As they say, what goes up must come down. After the informative tour of this illustrious castle with all of its glorious history, I climb aboard the bus for the ride down. It’s standing room only and the steep descent is filled with bumps and jolts. I hang on for dear life to the dangling strap above my head, hoping I won’t fall into the person in front of me. But as I bend my knees and go with the flow, I realize that the jarring sensation is absorbed and the impact is lessened. When I let go of my fear and annoyance, I actually enjoy the thrill of the ride to the bottom of the hill.
 
Life is like that sometimes. While it infrequently can be a smooth ride, life often entails lots of bumps and jolts along the way. Not only is the path not certain and calm, it is usually wildly unpredictable and the fear of what is around the next bend can sometimes paralyze us. Often life vacillates between joy and suffering. The road is never the same as it bends and twists through life. Change is definitely the name of the game.
 
With over 16 months of pandemic life under our belts, there are still changes to navigate. As schools, businesses, stores, and restaurants open up, there are still a myriad of rules to follow which seem to change daily, as they have for the past year.
 
Perhaps you’ve gotten in a rhythm during the pandemic and now things are changing again. Or perhaps you never felt like there was any consistency in the first place and the last 16 months have been a constant upheaval. Or maybe life has changed due to other circumstances beyond your control and you struggle to find your footing.
 
Our key verse today is one that brings to mind a solid rock to cling to in times of change. Yet, this verse has come to mean even more than that to me.
 
When we interpret our key verse in context, Hebrews 13:8 says that Jesus is the same as He was from the beginning of time (see John 1:1*). That is, He is God. He always has been God and always will be God. The early readers of this text as Jewish Christians needed encouragement as new converts to believe in Jesus as God.
 
While the original context was to equate Jesus with God, we often interpret this verse to mean that Jesus is the Rock that never changes. But while His character, nature, and purposes do not change over time and throughout eternity, how He manifests Himself in our lives does indeed change as we grow to know Him better and love Him more.
 
As life morphs and transforms, often throwing us curve balls, God’s presence with us becomes exactly what we need when we need it. In the process, our faith changes too, often growing deeper in times of adversity so that we glimpse new facets of God’s character and learn to lean more into our relationship with Him. That God shifts to meet us where we are is antithetical to the idea of a rock that never changes. But His presence does indeed transform into what we need. Verses like Philippians 4:19 which says “God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus” confirm this truth. God abundantly provides us many spiritual blessings, including His love, grace, strength, comfort, and wisdom.
 
God meets our needs while He molds our character into who we need to be. And oftentimes, it’s the fires of adversity that burn the dross to refine us, to shape us as the Potter shapes the clay.
 
But sometimes we chafe under the adversity and we rebel against the circumstances that seek to change us. If we can step back, grab hold of the hand of God reaching down, bend our knees, and go with the flow, we will grasp the exhilarating ride with the God who is with us in all the changes of life.
 
 
Lord Jesus, You are God. While I think of You as my Rock, I know that is not a perfect analogy. Rocks sometimes slide down mountains and tumble into oceans. While I know You are with me in the rough and tumble of life, I may not hear Your voice in the rumbling of tumbling rocks as much as I feel it in the whisper of the thin silence as rising dust plumes skyward in the aftermath. Yet You are Immanuel, God with us, and not just in a holy place called heaven, but You are thankfully here with me on this constantly changing earthly path called life. Amen.
 
 
*John 1:1 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2021 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the Palácio Nacional da Pena, near Lisbon, Portugal.
 
 
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A NOTE ON RACIAL JUSTICE:  Becoming antiracist is a journey. Together, we can make a difference. Will you join me? Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.  Matthew 14:13-14
 
 
His friend has just been killed. Yet, instead of returning to his busy ministry, he steals away to a quiet place to acknowledge his pain and to pray. Soon the plethora of needy people find him, as they always do when he takes time out to care for himself. But without these respite moments, however fleeting, his mortal body and emotional health would lack the strength to meet the demands of this divine calling. Sailing the boat closer to the shore where a bedraggled crowd awaits him, he looks into their anxious faces and feels their anguish deeply. Stepping out of the boat and wading to the shore, he begins to do what he can to alleviate their suffering.
 
Sandwiched between the horrific story of the beheading of John the Baptist and the narrative known as the Feeding of the Five Thousand, we find Jesus withdrawing to a solitary place to mourn. When His alone-time is cut short by the impatient crowd, Jesus nonetheless has compassion for these needy people and He continues to minister to them by healing their sick.
 
As recorded in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Jesus demonstrates a compelling picture of compassion as He heals the sick, raises the dead, and feeds the hungry. But Jesus is also a noteworthy illustration of self-compassion as He often pulls away from the penurious crowds to find respite in solitude and prayer.
 
Compassion is defined as “a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.” It is more than just putting yourself in someone else’s shoes; it’s doing what you can to help. Compassion is empathy in action.
 
If compassion is showing empathy to someone else, then self-compassion is obviously showing empathy to ourselves. It’s like the safety instructions at the beginning of a flight telling us to don our oxygen mask before helping someone else with theirs. In order to be kind and compassionate, we have to first be kind and compassionate to ourselves. But as Shakespeare says in Hamlet, “Ay, there’s the rub”!
 
Just as Jesus pulled away from the demands of life to mourn and to pray, we too need to stop our busyness to recognize our own losses and hurts. Facing ourselves honestly by identifying our pain is the beginning of healing. But often, that’s where we get stuck. Acknowledging our own hurts is painful.
 
We’re all broken in some way. It’s impossible to experience life without emotional and psychological scrapes, bruises, and trauma. But it is possible to accept our weaknesses and brokenness without judgment while rejoicing in our strengths and moving towards healing. Often it takes the expertise of a good therapist to help us see our brokenness, understand our hurts, and begin a new path of healing.
 
Jesus says in John 16:33, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Suffering and pain are a normal part of the human experience. Jesus’ practice of self-compassion shows us the importance of embracing suffering in order to begin healing. To accept and embrace our suffering means saying to ourselves, “I acknowledge that pain and I give myself kindness and compassion around it.” Self-compassion is the beginning of healing.
 
Shame often prevents us from showing compassion to ourselves. Guilt is saying we have done a bad thing; shame is saying we are a bad person. Shame teaches us that we are not worthy, that we are not enough, that we are less than. But God says we are worthy simply because we are His. What is it about yourself that you would not want the world to know? The answer may reveal a place of shame that needs self-compassion. When we acknowledge shame and utilize the tool of self-compassion, we become free to be who God created us to be.
 
Sometimes the lack of self-compassion shows up in negative self-talk. Most of us would never dream of talking to others like we talk to ourselves. Paying attention to those self-condemning thoughts that circle inside our brains like tapes on an endless loop can actually stop them in their tracks. When we notice these negative thoughts, we can counter them with kind thoughts, just as you would comfort a hurting friend. If we continue interrupting these negative thoughts, we rob them of their power. Self-compassion creates new tracks; we’re no longer stuck circling in a holding pattern of negative thoughts. We land on a new runway of self-love, self-acceptance, and self-forgiveness.
 
Loving ourselves and being kind to ourselves is the beginning of a new road to compassion. When we can hold space for our own self-compassion, we find the emotional energy to extend that compassion to others. In a society that is often lacking in kindness, we can put empathy in action by showing compassion to those who are less fortunate than ourselves, to those who are discriminated against, and to those in our society who are the most vulnerable. While we may not be able to heal the sick like Jesus did, when we land in a place of self-compassion, we can look out on the sea of faces around us, experience true compassion, and do what we can to alleviate the suffering around us.
 
 
Dear Jesus, help me to emulate Your practice of self-compassion. Help me overcome the barriers of shame and negative self-talk that so often rob me of accepting compassion and kindness from myself and even from You. May my new-found self-compassion actively overflow into a sea of empathy that gently surrounds those in need with Your love and mercy. May I actively take arms against their sea of troubles for those suffering and by showing compassion, end as much suffering as I can. For Your glory, Amen.
 
 
To learn more about self-compassion, I highly recommend the book Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself by Kristen Neff.
 
 
Text and photographs copyright © 2021 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of a lone bench on a pathway in Bodnant Garden, near Colwyn Bay, Wales.
 
 
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A NOTE ON RACIAL JUSTICE:  Becoming antiracist is a journey. Together, we can make a difference. Will you join me? Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
 
 
Flowers near the water lily pond at Bodnant Garden, Wales:

​The water lily pond at Bodnant Garden with Unbind the Wing sculpture by Trevor Leat installed in 2018 in celebration of the centennial of women’s suffrage in the UK:

One hundred years ago on May 31 and June 1, 1921, at least 300 Black people were killed and most homes and businesses were destroyed by their white neighbors in Tulsa, Oklahoma, leaving 10,000 of the 11,000 residents displaced in the otherwise thriving community of Greenwood, known as Black Wall Street.
 
Almost 99 years and many murders later, on May 25, 2020, the life of a Black man was callously snuffed out under the knee of a white police officer. Unlike the Tulsa Race Massacre, the world itself witnessed this gruesome act because a brave 17-year-old, helplessly watching the horror unfold before her very eyes, filmed the killing of George Floyd, a father, brother, uncle, boyfriend, and neighbor. This video shines a spotlight on an all-too-common practice of chokeholds and neck restraints and a senseless death of yet another person of color. What kind of society allows these atrocities to happen?
 
The earth shifted on its axis that day last year as evidenced by the many protests that ensued in this nation and around the world. Little did I know how my own internal landscape would shift because of this event that took place in Minneapolis, far from my home in California. My own contemplation sparked by this killing continues to morph into my ever-growing awareness of the white supremacy and structural and systemic racism that allows police brutality and the murders of people with skin a different color from my own. My participation in a society that sanctions such brutality makes me complicit.
 
If my faith isn’t actively transforming me to be more like Jesus every day, then my faith needs examining. I cannot turn a blind eye to the injustices in our society nor can I ignore my own complicity. While it would be easier to ignore the Holy Spirit’s conviction, the God of all humankind will not be kept in a box on a shelf, taken down when it’s convenient and comfortable, only to be returned to the dusty ledge when conviction dares to put a lid on it.
 
As I grasp the implications of the God who creates all humankind in His image (Genesis 1:26a*) to serve His purposes, for His glory, and for fellowship with Him, the Almighty Creator empowers the transformation of my faith and emboldens me to live out that transfigured faith regardless of its convenience or comfort. My perspective, my thoughts, and my actions are altered. I find that my faith isn’t shattered, but rather it is changed and expanded; its roots grow deeper.
 
In Luke 10:26-28*, Jesus affirms the two greatest commandments, the second of which is to love our neighbors. When the question arises as to who our neighbors are, Jesus makes it abundantly clear in His parable called the Good Samaritan that we are to reach across all cultural divides to show love in practical ways to whomever we encounter. In other words, neighbor means everyone.
 
Our key verse today from the Old Testament book of Amos gives us a visual of how God wants justice to flow through our world like a fast-flowing river that covers all in its path.  Prophesying to the tribes of Israel, Amos admonishes them to repent of their sins, pointing out particularly their lack of justice and truth and their oppression of the poor. They have become wealthy at the expense of the poor whom they keep in poverty with extra taxes (Amos 5:10-11*).
 
God wants His people to seek Him, to do good, and to seek justice, not to mollify Him with their empty sacrifices, meaningless ceremonies, and going-through-the-motion rituals. Their religious fervor rings hollow. God wants justice and righteousness (living right with God) to abound, like swift-flowing waters of a river as it rushes headlong down a mountain.
 
The Bible contains almost 330 references to justice. Clearly, God takes justice seriously. Likewise, we, too, are called to seek justice and to act justly in our personal lives and within our communities. Justice is not optional.
 
By remembering our neighbor George Floyd on the anniversary of his death, we lament with his loved ones their great loss, we confess our own complicity, and we actively seek justice in an unjust world. While George Floyd’s murderer was pronounced guilty, only a sliver of justice was served. The sentencing did not, nor could it, bring back George Floyd from the dead. Instead, this sentence was about accountability.
 
Yet, there is a glimmering hope that the door to racial justice has been cracked open so that the powerful light of a greater God-wrought justice will ultimately cast its glow on our darkened world. Remembering all the many victims and their untimely deaths can motivate us to change. Perhaps if we all expand the horizons of our hearts and minds to fully grasp the meaning of “made in the image of God” and the concept of “neighbor”, the hatred that infects our world and the deaths by bigotry and brutality would stop.
 
But it starts with each of us, being willing to own our complicity and to allow God to change our hearts and our actions. Only then will we truly see the face of God in each of our neighbors. Only then will all image-bearers be free to live out their God-given purposes without fear of discrimination, violence, and death. Only then will justice roll down from heaven like a river.
 
 
God of Amos, You have rightly judged my heart as lacking awareness, love, and compassion, and my actions as lacking justice. May I seek You, do good, and act justly amongst all Your image-bearers whom You call my neighbors. Change my selfish ways and free me from the chains of comfort and convenience to do Your will and Your work for the sake of all Your children. As Jesus as my example, may it be so. Amen.
 
 
*Genesis 1:26a (NRSV) - Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness…”
 
*Luke 10:26-28 - “What is written in the Law?” he [Jesus] replied. “How do you read it?” He [the expert in the law] answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
 
*Amos 5:10-11 - There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court and detest the one who tells the truth. You levy a straw tax on the poor and impose a tax on their grain. Therefore, though you have built stone mansions, you will not live in them; though you have planted lush vineyards, you will not drink their wine.
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2021 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the Kicking Horse River as it cascades through the Canadian Rockies at the Natural Bridge, near Field, British Columbia.
 
 
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A NOTE ON RACIAL JUSTICE:  Becoming antiracist is a journey. Together, we can make a difference. Will you join me? Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

​

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
 
 
The gorgeous tropical scenery at the edge of the ocean filled me with awe of God’s creation when I had glanced briefly through the window. But now, keeping my eyes on the road ahead and gripping the steering wheel tightly, I didn’t dare look down to my left, down the cliff to the sea. Up ahead, a sign stood sentinel to mark the beginning of a much narrower road. It said, “One lane next 1/8 mile.” Or so I thought. That 1/8 mile was in reality 8 miles as I white-knuckled my way around twists and curves in this gravel-laid, one-lane path that passed for a road on the shores of the northern Maui coast. My passengers had gone silent, each praying we’d find our way safely to our destination. Approaching cars forced me to pull over as far as the bank on the right side of the road allowed or obliged me to back up until I could find a wider place to pull over.
 
That trip was over a decade ago now, but the memory of the fear that gripped me that day is as vivid as if it happened yesterday. I had traveled to Hawaii with my sister-in-law and my two nieces with the primary purpose of distributing my brother’s ashes over an area of the world he adored. Here we were, on the last day of our week-long trip, and we had just finished our somber task. Taking the “scenic” route back turned out to be more than we bargained for as we silently crawled along this cliff-hugging road for eight long miles.
 
Sometimes life is like that. We’re on sure, stable pavement one minute and then the next, we find ourselves in the weeds and wonder how we got off track. If we Google Mapped our lives, how did we get from Point A to Point B? At every fork in the road, did we make the right decision? Or if you’re a perfectionist like me, did we make the perfect choice? And what about the signs along the way? Did we misread them or miss them altogether?
 
I wonder if the circuitous routes we take on this road called life is what God intends for us. When we earnestly seek His will, are we left feeling like we still messed up? Will we get to the end of the road and regret the path we took? Or can God make something beautiful even out of the missed turns and detours along the way? What if this twisting, winding road is actually His will for us?
 
While I may not have all the answers, God does because He is sovereign. He is not surprised or shocked by the detours along my journey. When I trust in His sovereignty, in His control, the pressure to make the perfect decision diminishes. When I realize that I am a beloved child of God and covered in God’s grace, I can relax in knowing that He can use whatever decisions I make to grow me into who He wants me to be.
 
Sometimes as Christians, we make the Christian life unnecessarily complicated. Jesus states in Matthew 22:37-40* that the most important commandments are to love God with our whole being and to love our neighbor as ourselves. The decision to love God and others is a decision that we must make over and over again at each fork in the road. These commands from Jesus give us a framework for our decision-making, a signpost to follow. Each time we have a choice to show kindness to others is a critical juncture on the road to loving our neighbor.
 
Loving our neighbor also implies that we love ourselves, as we cannot extend love to others until we first extend love to ourselves. Loving ourselves means letting go of regrets and wrapping ourselves in grace and compassion. When we are filled with God’s grace, love, and compassion, it will naturally spill over to others.
 
But in doing the hard work of loving ourselves, we must practice self-forgiveness and self-acceptance. When we realize that we are human and not perfect, we can forgive ourselves for any regretful decisions and past mistakes. We don’t have to live in some parallel universe of what life would have been like if only we had chosen differently. Forgiving ourselves and accepting the reality of our choices allows us to live fully and freely in the present moment. When we no longer allow the past to make our present choices, we are free from the prison of self-condemnation and free to love God, ourselves, and others well.
 
As today’s key verse implies, God’s will is not about doing the perfect path. It’s all about being joyful, prayerful, and thankful along the journey. It’s not about being thankful for the circumstances surrounding the path, but it’s being thankful for God’s steadfast presence in the midst of difficult circumstances. Despite whatever road we are on, when we are thankful for who God is and how He forgives and accepts us and when we soak in His presence through prayer, we find joy. And that joy is the key to forgiving and accepting ourselves and to loving God, ourselves, and others well.
 
Our journey will take us to places unknown to us, but not unknown to God. We may travel on busy freeways or we may find ourselves on a road less traveled. When we look into the rearview mirror and see God’s faithfulness to us in the past, we have the courage to face the present and the future. Even on a narrow path tracing the edge of a cliff, we know God is with us and we can trust Him to be with us around the next bend.
 
 
Dear Jesus, may I follow after You joyfully, prayerfully, and thankfully. May I love, accept, and forgive myself in Your mercy and grace. May I make the good choice everyday to love You with my entire being and to love my neighbor as myself. May I find true joy in Your faithful presence as I walk this oftentimes rocky path called life. Amen.
 
 
*Matthew 22:37-40 - Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
 
 
NOTE: Sometimes others’ choices impact us negatively. While this blog focuses on our own choices, know that if you have been victimized by abuse, the decision to abuse was not one you made.  When we face our painful past, we can choose to remain a victim and allow someone else’s actions to influence our lives going forward or we can choose freedom. Regardless of the degree of past trauma in your life, Dr. Edith Eva Eger’s powerful book The Choice is an excellent resource on discovering self-forgiveness and self-acceptance and on choosing freedom from victimhood. As a clinical psychologist and Holocaust survivor, Dr. Eger shares lessons learned from her experiences in Auschwitz that has shaped her own healing and enabled her to make a significant difference in the lives of her patients.
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2021 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of rocky beach on the northern coast of Maui, Hawaii (taken just before the harrowing drive described above).
 
 
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Did you know that the month of May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month? PBS airs specials all month featuring the stories, contributions, and influence of AAPI Americans. See also https://asianpacificheritage.gov/. Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice, including injustice against AAPI Americans.  Click here to learn more.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”  Matthew 21:12-13
 
 
In the wake of the horrendous killings of eight people in Atlanta recently, six of whom were Asian women, I am devastated over the loss of lives. I am outraged that the local authorities deemed the killer as having a “bad day”. I am frustrated that the murderer’s crime is reduced to a sex addict ridding himself of temptation. And I am concerned that the slaying of these precious lives may not be viewed as the racist, sexist hate crime that it is.  
 
When taken into context, these brutal murders are the culmination of the past 170 years in US history of abuse, discrimination, and violence against Asian Americans that began with the mistreatment of Chinese workers in the 1850’s. In 1854, a California Supreme Court ruling (People v. Hall) allowed white people to perpetrate crimes against Asians with impunity. The Page Act of 1875 prohibited Chinese women from entering the US for fear they were prostitutes. The 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act banned immigration altogether from China for 20 years. During World War II, internment camps housed Japanese Americans on the pretense that they were spies. Other horrors have been perpetrated against Asians here in the US, including massacres and lynchings.
 
Today, the abuse continues as Asians are scapegoated as the supposed source of the coronavirus. When rhetoric like “the China virus” or “kung flu” permeates the airwaves and feeds social media, it is no coincidence that violence, verbal abuse, and other atrocities against Asian Americans is up 150% during this pandemic.
 
Historically, racial minorities have been and continue to be blamed for crimes committed against them. During the breaking news of the Atlanta shootings, the perpetrator of this heinous crime was portrayed as someone who was seemingly justified for annihilating his sexual temptation. Along with local authorities, he blames the victims and in doing so, repudiates any responsibility for permanently destroying these cherished lives.
 
The killer grew up actively involved in his church and was a member of the youth group. At the time of this writing, the church is expunging the murderer from their rolls. But they cannot erase him from their memories any more than the victims’ families and friends can erase this horrific crime and monumental loss from theirs.
 
Why aren’t churches having conversations and sermons around racism, sexism, and xenophobia? Why aren’t churches teaching on the sanctity of all life and the sins of marginalization and dehumanization? Why are so many churches silent?
 
It is clear from Scripture that all people are created in the image of God and that God has a heart for the oppressed. Yet we continue to see people of color and women marginalized and dehumanized. While these murders in Atlanta were perpetrated by one individual, this act of terrorism is part of systemic racism and sexism that permeates our society. Ignoring the larger context creates horrific situations that will repeat themselves. Our silence allows these insidious belief systems to proliferate, causing damage to those created in God’s image.
 
In our key verses, Jesus has just entered Jerusalem triumphantly on what we celebrate as Palm Sunday. Straightaway, He goes to the temple to the outer court of the Gentiles. In anger, Jesus overturns the tables of the moneychangers and those who sell animals for temple sacrifice. His righteous anger is in response to the corruption He finds there where huge amounts of money are made by those who extort the poor. Jesus’ response was swift.
 
What is our response in the wake of these killings? Are we angry that violence and discrimination are perpetrated on our Asian siblings? Do we lament the pain and suffering endured by the Asian community?
 
Anger over injustice is not sinful. Lament over suffering is not purposeless. Together, anger and lament can spur us to action, to stand up for what is true, right, and noble, to stand in solidarity with our Asian siblings, and to unravel the threads of complicity that we partake in when we remain silent.
 
We lament by grieving the loss of these precious lives. We recognize that as part of a racist, sexist society, we are corporately guilty. We confess our sins of commission where our words and deeds perpetuate racism and sexism. We confess our sins of omission where we stayed silent and did not call out the racism and sexism in our midst. And we stop blaming the victims for the crimes perpetrated against them. Taking responsibility through true lament, compassion, and confession is the only way to win the blame game.
 
What can we do practically? We can pray for healing for the victims’ families and friends and even contribute to fundraisers for them. Going forward, we can call out racist, sexist rhetoric and “jokes” when in conversation with others or on social media. We can support local Asian American businesses. We can learn from and contribute to organizations who are trying to make a difference, like the Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC Inc.), Asian American Christian Collaborative, Chinese for Affirmative Action, and Stop AAPI Hate. (See links below.)
 
In Letter from a Birmingham Jail, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., wrote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that we are all in this together. There is no room for injustice.
 
For a sobering, impactful video, watch A Call for Solidarity by Asian American Faith Leaders at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKd7Xoxf3JE&ab_channel=AsianAmericanFaithLeaders.
The video closes with these statements from the Asian community: “We will not be silent. Raise your voice. We belong. Stand with us.” Amen.
 
 
Compassionate God, how Your heart must break over violence against those You created in Your image. Open my eyes to the ways I am complicit in structural racism and sexism and give me the courage to take action to dismantle it. Help me stand in the gap for my Asian siblings and for other people of color who are treated unfairly. May I follow the example of Jesus in answering Your call for justice and change in the midst of this fallen world. Amen.
 
 
Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC Inc.): https://www.advancingjustice-aajc.org/
Asian American Christian Collaborative:
https://www.asianamericanchristiancollaborative.com/
Chinese for Affirmative Action: https://caasf.org/
Stop AAPI Hate: https://stopaapihate.org/
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2021 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of white tulips at Keukenhof, The Netherlands. White tulips signify both condolences and apologies, or this case, sorrow over the deaths of these Asian women and lament and confession over our complicity in systemic racism and sexism. White is also the color of choice worn by the suffragists a century ago and by female lawmakers in Congress more recently.
 
 
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A NOTE ON RACIAL JUSTICE:  Becoming antiracist is a journey. Together, we can make a difference. Will you join me? Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”  Esther 4:14
 
 
Traversing the many concrete steps downward to where the guide had stopped, I glance behind me. At the foot of those stairs in Auckland is a colorful fresco with the words “The Vote” and the date 1893. I ask the guide about the significance and learn that in 1893, New Zealand was the first self-governing country to give women the right to vote. I am both surprised and fascinated to hear this story of how the Suffrage Movement grew out of the Temperance Movement by wives who were tired of their husbands’ drinking and domestic abuse. By going door-to-door, the women who felt called to right these injustices obtained signatures from 32,000 women, a quarter of the female New Zealand population at the time. Those pages of signatures were fastened together and rolled up on a broomstick. Taken to the legislature in 1893, the scroll was ceremoniously unrolled down the center aisle. The women spearheading this campaign made their point. And the rest is history.
 
March marks Women’s History Month in the US (and in the UK and Australia) when we honor the women who have contributed greatly to our society. We owe a debt of gratitude to the many women who were overlooked or marginalized at the time, but who relentlessly pursued acts of courage, compassion, and justice. Today we reap the benefits of their persistence through medical and science discoveries, inventions, and just laws. Their visionary leadership created community, art, and education. These trailblazing women who significantly impacted our society throughout history had a real sense of purpose and a tenacity to reach their goal.
 
Throughout the Bible, we see stories of women who were also brave, purposeful, and tenacious. We meet Esther in the Old Testament book that bears her name. As queen of Persia, she puts her life on the line in order to save her people. In requesting a meeting with King Xerxes, Esther literally can receive the death penalty for such a brazen request. As her cousin Mordecai reminds her, perhaps it’s for this very purpose that she is the queen of Persia. Convinced, Esther states that if she perishes, then she perishes. She risks her life to save the Jewish people from being annihilated by Haman, the racist courtier who is more interested in his own power than any relations of the queen’s. Through her cunning, Esther ultimately exposes Haman and his diabolical plans and saves her people.
 
Esther’s story is one of bravery, yet she clearly feels unworthy of the role and unsure of whether she can even do any good. But yet, she persists while risking her own life. And a whole people group is saved that day.
 
Other women in the Old Testament demonstrate how even less queenly decisions have eternal consequences. Ruth wasn’t thinking about the lineage of the Messiah when she gathered the leftover grain from Boaz’s field. Likewise, Rahab was only focusing on saving her immediate family at Jericho. Yet, for each of them, their courage launched a series of events that culminated in the birth of Christ.
 
As we move into the New Testament, we see that Jesus celebrates women. At a time when women are considered mere property with no rights of their own, Jesus goes against the grain of His culture to show the many women He encounters both honor and respect. In simply talking to them in public, Jesus bucks the norm. He notices them, sees them as individuals, shows them respect, and listens to them, scandalous actions for the times. When Jesus converses with the woman at the well (John 4:25-26), He gives her the privilege of being the first person to whom He declares that He is the Messiah. Likewise, Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-18) is the first to see Him resurrected. In other examples, Jesus brings grace and mercy to the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11) and compassion and healing to the woman with a bleeding disorder (Mark 5:24-34).  
 
In reading the stories of women in the Bible, we see that God weaves the events of their lives together to create a tapestry showing His love and compassion for all humankind. He takes brave acts, purposeful missions, and divine appointments and knits them together in a chain of history, for His glory and our good. Likewise, God intertwines our stories into His master narrative along with the stories of those who came before us and those who will come after us, all for His purposes.
 
In last month’s blog, WWJD?, we discussed Jesus’ mission and how our mission can mirror His ministry to the poor, the imprisoned, the disabled, and the oppressed and more. What do you sense God calling you to do? Perhaps like Esther, it’s a mission God has placed on your heart or maybe like Ruth, it is a call to be faithful in everyday decisions. If you are feeling pandemic-weary, perhaps being faithful in taking care of yourself with kindness and compassion is enough for now. Whether the calling seems mundane or magnanimous, be brave and tenacious in pursuing God’s path and purposes for you. It might just be the necessary link in a chain of events that God is orchestrating for His glory and our good.
 
As we celebrate Women’s History Month, may we courageously hold tight to the cords of our faith as the Master Weaver makes history through us. May we remember that throughout the ages, God makes history through those who are faithful to Him to bring about His good and perfect will. Like Esther, perhaps we are here in this moment of history for just such a time as this.
 
 
Lord Jesus, by breaking cultural norms, You elevated women to a higher place than society allowed. Thank You for all the women who have come before me and those who will come after me. Show me my place in Your lineage as Your beloved child and in Your history as Your vessel of grace. May I use the unique gifts and talents You’ve bestowed on me along with the passions and desires of my heart to bring glory to Your Holy Name and good to my fellow humankind. Amen.
 
 
Text and photographs copyright © 2021 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of The Lightpath, a bicycle path in Auckland, New Zealand, repurposed from an off-ramp.
 
 
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A NOTE ON RACIAL JUSTICE:  Becoming antiracist is a journey. Together, we can make a difference. Will you join me? Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

​Women's Suffrage Memorial in Auckland, New Zealand:

Close-up of painting of scroll with signatures:

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”  Luke 4:18-19
 
 
“Someday, your tombstone will read, ‘She died because she did too much!’”. I confess that was something someone once said to me. Life is busy and there is so much that needs attending to and checked off the to-do list. But if we’re honest with ourselves, our busyness begs the question of priorities. While many tasks are indeed non-negotiable, we will only learn what God really wants us to do when we stop long enough to listen to the still, quiet voice of the Holy Spirit. For many of us, taking that pause is difficult to do as it requires us to temporarily step out of our busyness.
 
In our key verses today, it’s the Sabbath and Jesus visits the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth. When it’s time for the Scripture reading, Jesus stands up and takes the scroll from the attendant. He reads aloud from Isaiah 61:1-2, noted in Luke 4:18-19 above, rolls up the scroll, hands it back to the attendant, and returns to his seat. He then proclaims that the words He just read are not only true, but are fulfilled in Him in that moment. The congregation is astonished because Jesus, their local carpenter’s son, just proclaimed Himself to be the Messiah.
 
In reading aloud these Scriptures, Jesus also delineates His mission. He has no doubt of His calling and His purpose. All throughout His ministry, the Gospels record Jesus living out His mission to proclaim the good news to the poor, to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, to recover sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. Scripture gives us a window into His ministry of restoring hope to the hopeless, of saving that which was lost, of meeting often desperate needs.
 
If we study each of these facets of Jesus’ ministry from His mission statement, we see that each is spiritual as well as physical. Jesus did indeed come to proclaim the good news of salvation to the spiritually poor. But He also has overwhelming compassion for the impoverished and hungry. Jesus came to set spiritual prisoners free from the prison of sin. He also sets free those who were bound in metal chains, too, as He heals them of illness. Restoring spiritual sight to those blinded by their lack of faith is part of Jesus’ mission. But He also restores physical sight to those who are blind. Those oppressed spiritually by demons are cured, those oppressed by ostracism because of their devastating health conditions are healed, and those oppressed by hatred and contempt like tax collectors and prostitutes are befriended. Indeed, those oppressed in many ways are set free.
 
The year of the Lord’s favor typically refers to the Year of Jubilee (from Leviticus 25) when, every 50 years, lands that had been purchased (or taken or swindled) had to be returned to the original owners. Debts were canceled, inheritances were restored, and slaves were freed. During Jubilee, wrongs were undone and lands, wealth, and freedom were restored. By proclaiming to be the fulfillment of the Year of Jubilee, Jesus declares His mission to reset society and to reverse injustices. His concern reaches from our spiritual needs to our physical distress. Jesus heals us spiritually and sometimes physically, and ultimately purchases our bondage from sin by His death on the cross.
 
Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus was laser-focused on what His Father had sent Him to do. Spending time in prayer with His heavenly Father kept Jesus unwavering in His mission.
 
Jesus says if we have seen Him, we have seen God, the Father (John 14:9*). Jesus, by His words, action, and mission, points us to what is close to God’s heart. Throughout the Old Testament, we read verse after verse about what’s on God’s heart: to care for the poor, the widows, the orphans, the imprisoned, the disabled, the oppressed, the foreigners, and to bring love and justice to those mistreated. In the New Testament, Jesus is God’s love in action, pointing the way more fully to what concerns the heart of God.
 
As humans, we’re wired for purpose. If, according to the Westminster Shorter Catechism*, our primary purpose is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, what better way to live that out than to follow the guiding principles of Jesus’ mission?
 
We each have a divine purpose, to glorify God in ways that are uniquely ours, based on our God-given gifts, talents, and even personalities. How can we use our individual giftedness to follow Jesus’ ministry to the poor, the imprisoned, the disabled, and the oppressed? And how can we shift our priorities and transform our busyness into a laser-focused mission driven by our God-given purpose?
 
We, as Christ-followers, are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus to a hurting world. To bring the good news of Jesus’ salvation along with practical help in times of need to feed the poor, to minister to those incarcerated unjustly, to stand up for those mistreated by racial injustices, to aid defenseless immigrants, and to help those marginalized and less fortunate is a mission we can all participate in. Our purpose in life can mirror Jesus’ mission if we only open our eyes to the needs around us and our ears to the Holy Spirt while asking ourselves, “What would Jesus do?”
 
 
Lord Jesus, thank You for setting me free from sin’s power and reconciling me to God, the Father. Thank You for Your faithfulness in meeting my needs on all levels. Open my eyes to the needs around me and open my ears to hear the Holy Spirit’s whispering guidance so that I may emulate Your good example in showing Your love and care to the hungry, the homeless, the incarcerated, the immigrants, the disabled, the oppressed, and the poor. Amen.
 
 
*John 14:9 - Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”
 
 
*The Westminster Shorter Catechism is composed of 107 questions and answers to help educate primarily children in the Christian faith. Written circa 1647, it was a tool promoted by the Church of Scotland and approved for instruction by the Scottish Parliament in 1649. One of the questions is, “What is the chief end of man?” The answer is, “Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.”
 
 
Text and photograph copyright © 2021 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of bridge over the River Eden near Hever Castle, childhood home of Anne Boleyn, Kent, England.
 
 
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A NOTE ON RACIAL JUSTICE:  February is Black History month. Celebrate by learning something new about Black history in the US. For a list of books, articles, podcasts, and videos to get you started, click here for a free, downloadable PDF. Also check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”  Matthew 2:1-2
 
 
Today is Epiphany. And it’s not just a day. It’s the beginning of the liturgical season which starts with the Magi’s visit to the Christ Child, extends through the start of Jesus’ ministry, and ends with His transfiguration. I suggest that as part of our faith journey, Epiphany never ends. It’s a way of life.
 
Epiphany is a word denoting what we often call a “lightbulb” moment, when we have a sudden realization of a particular reality. Epiphany is also where the extraordinary intersects the ordinary.
 
Matthew 2:1-12 unfolds as the Magi, often called the Three Kings or the Three Wise Men, see a brilliant star in the sky and believe this light will lead them to the king of the Jews. They pack up their provisions, load up their camels, and begin their journey. Expecting to find Him in Jerusalem, the Magi inquire of Herod where they can find this king. Alarmed he may have a rival, Herod learns that, according to Old Testament prophesies, the king of the Jews will be born in Bethlehem and he feigns the desire to worship this new-born king himself.
 
As the Magi leave Herod’s palace, they are discouraged that they do not find who they are looking for in Jerusalem. But when the bright star reappears, they are overjoyed and encouraged. They follow this luminous light until it stops over the house in Bethlehem where Jesus is. The Magi fall down and worship the Christ Child. They lavish expensive gifts on Him, gifts of frankincense, myrrh, and gold. That night, being warned in a dream by God, the Magi leave Bethlehem and travel home by a different route, bypassing Jerusalem and the ruthless Herod.
 
As we dive deeper into this familiar story, we discover the Magi in these long-ago events have much to teach us today. Some scholars believe the Magi were actual wise and learned men who were from Persia (modern-day Iran). When they spot this extraordinary star hovering over Israel, they know from prophesies that this light signifies the birth of the king of the Jews. They immediately pack up and head out to find this newborn king.
 
Understanding God’s Word and listening to His voice enables us to hear His calling and obey immediately.
 
The Magi travel a long way. I wonder if they grew weary. As they leave Jerusalem, they are disappointed and discouraged.
 
Sometimes, even when we know we are following God’s leading, we can grow tired and weary. Following God requires prayer and persistence.
 
When they reach their final destination, the Magi fall down and worship Jesus.
 
Authentic worship requires true humility before God.
 
The Magi put aside any prejudices and cross-cultural differences as they kneel in humility before someone of a different race and religion.
 
Recognizing they are created in God’s image, we accept others who are different from ourselves regardless of the color of their skin, their gender identity, their orientation, or their religion.
 
The Magi unpack their generous gifts to the Christ Child, laying them at His feet.
 
We worship God by generously giving back to Him the best of our time, money, talents, and resources.
 
After worshipping the king of the Jews, the Magi continue to follow God’s calling through a dream and travel home by another route.
 
When we’re up against life’s bad actors, we listen to God’s still and quiet voice rather than listening to those who would deceive us or distract us from our God-given purpose.
 
The Magi’s epiphany doesn’t stop at finding the Christ Child. They experience God in the ordinariness of a dream before traveling back to their homeland.
 
Look expectantly for God to show up in the ordinariness of everyday life. Pray to have spiritual eyes to see Him and then slow down enough to actually see Him at work.
 
Epiphany is the moment the Magi gaze into the face of a newborn baby and behold the face of God. In that moment, the extraordinary interrupts the ordinary and divinity becomes humanity. In their epiphany, the Magi fall down in worship of this Christ Child, this king of the Jews.
 
Jesus stands at the crossroads of His extraordinariness and our ordinariness: God in human flesh, both fully divine and fully human. His birth is no ordinary birth but rather it is the arrival of the long-awaited Messiah. He is no ordinary child born of human parents but rather He is the Son of God who has come to die on a cross to pay the penalty for our sins of living life without God. Our faith journey begins with the epiphany that, through His resurrection, Jesus is our Savior. We are reconciled to God the Father and are empowered to live out His purposes of grace, mercy, and justice here on earth before living forever in eternity with Him.
 
Throughout our faith journey, God continues to interrupt our lives of ordinariness with His epiphanies of extraordinariness. We only need to open our spiritual eyes and ears to see and hear Him working in our midst. It is our continual act of worship.
 
The Magi followed a star to worship the Light of the World. We follow the Savior of the world from a rough-hewn manger to an empty tomb. Our response, like that of the Magi, is worship.
 
 
Jesus, Your light shines into my darkness, illuminating my path to follow You. I thank You for the epiphany that You are indeed the Son of God, the Messiah, the Savior of the world. May I fall down and worship You as the one true King, bringing what I have to lay at Your feet. May my joy overflow as I live out Your calling on my life to shine Your light of grace, mercy, and justice into the darkness of this world. Open my spiritual eyes and ears to experience Epiphany throughout this coming year as You reveal more of Your extraordinariness to me in the ordinariness of life. In Your precious Name I pray, Amen.
 
 
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Text and photograph copyright © 2021 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of an old barn in California.
 
 
A NOTE ON RACIAL JUSTICE:  Becoming antiracist is a journey. Together, we can make a difference. Will you join me? Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.  Luke 2:8-11
 
 
This year 2020 has been unlike anything any of us expected. As it draws to a close, I find myself feeling relieved that it’s almost over. I am also desperately wishing that 2021 will be a new year indeed, one of hope and promise, rather than fear and devastation.
 
As we look in the rearview mirror at 2020, it’s easy to focus on the negatives. Often, our minds have a negative bias that naturally pulls us to negative thoughts. We dwell on what didn’t go well and what we lost in the process. Not to minimize our real losses, but when we fixate on the negatives, joy and contentment flee as fear and despair worm their way into our hearts and minds.

Even in “normal” times, when we focus on what we lack rather than on what we have, we will be discouraged. When our perspective skews to the negative, that negativity poisons not just our thought life, but our attitudes, words, and actions as well.
 
We have to consciously steer our thoughts toward the positive or as 2 Corinthians 10:5* says, we need to take our thoughts captive, especially the negative ones. While it may seem counter-intuitive, the shortcut to joy in the midst of despair is gratitude.
 
Instead of dwelling on what we don’t have, shift the focus to what we do have. What we each have is relative, of course. But even seemingly minor things are often what we take for granted, like the breath in our lungs or the newness of another day. Maybe it’s food on the table, a roof over our heads, or connecting with someone we love. Or maybe, as the Bible puts it in Psalm 51:12*, it’s restoring the joy of our salvation by thanking Jesus for His sacrifice to reconcile us to God who is still in control despite any seemingly contradictory circumstances.
 
Gratitude blossoms into joy. Taking a few minutes each day to reconnect with what we are grateful for allows joy to bloom in our hearts and a new perspective to spring up in our minds. Our souls find peace and contentment in spite of the unfortunate circumstances swirling around our feet.
 
Maintaining joy in the face of despair is not “Pollyanna-ish”. In fact, it’s actually biblical. In Philippians 4:4*, we are actually commanded to rejoice in the Lord always. That doesn’t mean to rejoice in our circumstances but in spite of them. It’s focusing vertically on the Lord rather than horizontally on our current landscape. We can rejoice in God because, regardless of our circumstances, God’s grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9*), Jesus is with us always (Matthew 28:20b), and His love for us never ends (Lamentations 3:22). When we allow the Holy Spirit to rein freely in our hearts, joy is one of the Spirit’s manifestations (Galatians 5:22-23*).
 
Our key verses today are from a familiar passage about the birth of Jesus. This angelic birth announcement comes first to shepherds who are uneducated men and low on society’s ladder. They are in the middle of an ordinary night of protecting their sheep from predators. How like God to seek out the lowly and marginalized and elevate them to a place of honor. But when the shepherds see this stunning apparition, they are afraid. They have never before seen the dazzling brilliance of an angel. When they realize this pure, holy light is from God, they are acutely aware of their own sinfulness. The angel reassures the shepherds that they don’t need to be afraid.
 
The good news that God provides the way of salvation to all who believe, despite no one deserving it, is cause for great joy. The shepherds are the first to hear and experience this joy in the long-awaited Savior. What an incredible rejoicing there must have been in the fields that night!
 
Like the shepherds, we may find ourselves in fearful circumstances. But we need not fear, for Jesus brings joy and hope. In the midst of ordinary life, the shepherds are grateful for the arrival of the promised Messiah and experience the joy of knowing their Savior is born that night. Whether life is extraordinarily ordinary or devastatingly extraordinary, we, too, can experience gratitude followed by joy.
 
During this Christmas season, Luke 2:8-11 reminds us that the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus brings joy to the world and hope to all. He has overcome. And by His grace, with gratitude, we will, too.
 
 
Lord, I thank You for the simplicity of entering humanity that Holy Night, where the power of the Divine touches the frailty of humanity and where the glory of the Divine meets the flesh of a newborn baby. Thank You for humbling Yourself as a tiny human to bring hope to all who believe in You as the divine Savior of the world. Like the shepherds long ago under the clear, starry night, may You transform my fear and despair into hope and contentment. May joy rule my heart as gratitude rules my thoughts. In Jesus’ Holy Name, Amen.
 

*2 Corinthians 10:5 - We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
 
*Psalm 51:12 - Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
 
*Philippians 4:4 - Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
 
*2 Corinthians 12:9 – But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
 
*Matthew 28:20b – “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
 
*Lamentations 3:22 – The Lord’s love never ends. His mercies never stop. (ICB)
 
*Galatians 5:22-23 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
 
 
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Text and photograph copyright © 2020 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of a red Peony from Melrose, Scotland.
 
 
A NOTE ON RACIAL JUSTICE:  Becoming antiracist is a journey. Together, we can make a difference. Will you join me? Check out my web page on “Justice Matters” to find resources and to connect with organizations engaging in the cause of racial justice.  Click here to learn more.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
 
ICB translation - Scriptures quoted from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright ©1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.  Psalm 23:4
 
 
I live in a valley between two mountain ranges. It’s a beautiful place and I love looking up on either side at the peaks and ridges as I travel along the freeway or the bike trail. Green in spring but brown by summer, the terrain is something I just can’t get enough of.
 
Until fire season rolls around. Those varying shades of brown signify the arid composition of the land. There are no summer rains to bring the greenness back but rather lightning strikes to start wildfires and fierce winds to fan the fast-moving flames. Because of climate change, the summers are hotter and drier. The fires get closer.
 
Fear has a way of imbedding deep into your mind and creating a stronghold, a venerable fortress that forces all other, perhaps more rational thoughts, to succumb to the strength of that fear. Anxiety, a close cousin of fear, guards this prison of the mind as it exerts control over the body in a visceral sort of way.
 
To unlock the prison of my anxious and fearful thoughts, I open my Bible. Psalm 23 is a familiar one. I read it this time with new eyes as I pray for the Holy Spirit’s illumination. The key verse today, verse 4, leaps off the page. I can certainly relate to walking through a valley, especially one that is threatened by wildfires. David, the shepherd boy turned king who penned this psalm, declares in verse 4 that he will fear no evil. Why? Because the Lord is with him. I, too, need not fear both real and exaggerated dangers. God’s presence surrounds me and melts away the stronghold of fear within my mind. But first, I have to recognize His presence with me, trust in His faithfulness and sovereignty to protect me, and make a conscious choice not to allow fear to control me.
 
“Your rod and your staff” in verse 4 do not initially sound very comforting to me. Yet, as I dig a bit deeper into this verse, I realize that “rod” simply refers to God’s Word and the strength it imparts. God’s Word is indeed a source of strength to me, especially when I tuck verses like Psalm 23:4 or Psalm 56:3* into my memory to recall when I start to feel afraid again.
 
The shepherd’s crook or staff in verse 4 has several meanings. The staff refers to the way the shepherd guides and protects his sheep by gently keeping them on the right path and by using the staff against predators to protect his precious sheep. Whatever my fears are, Jesus protects me and guides me through this darkest valley on a path of faith and trust.

The staff is also a symbol of God’s promises. Two such promises spring to mind:  God is with me and will strengthen and help me (Isaiah 41:10*) and when I pray about everything with thanksgiving, God promises to guard my heart and mind with His peace (Philippians 4:6-7*). While fear is a normal human emotion, I don’t have to let it control me. God is with me and through prayer, I can experience His peace in the midst of fearful circumstances.

Lastly, the staff is instrumental in aiding the shepherd as he counts his sheep, which, in biblical times, were considered very valuable. This reminds me of Jesus’ words in Luke 12:7, “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Jesus values me and cares for me so much that I can trust Him to take care of me and I don’t need to be afraid. I can cast all my anxiety on Him for He cares for me (1 Peter 5:7*).
 
The whole imagery of sheep and a shepherd is comforting. Isaiah 40:11 says, “He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.” Parking my mind on this imagery of Jesus carrying His lambs close to His heart, to love and protect them replaces the negative and rampant thoughts of fear and reassures me that Jesus loves and protects me, too. When I’m afraid, I have the abiding presence of Jesus to calm my fears and His strength to carry me when my own strength has been sabotaged by fear.
 
What causes your heart to seize with fear? This year has held us hostage to the fear of a pandemic with its many horrible implications. George Floyd’s murder has awakened many to the fear gripping Black communities every day. The stress of the election (yes, election stress disorder is a thing) can evoke both fear and anxiety regarding the uncertainty now and the outcome later. (I’m writing this a couple of weeks before Election Day.) Perhaps you have your own unique fears layered on top of these underpinnings of national angst. Whatever causes trepidation in your heart and keeps your mind on a loop of perpetual anxiety, know that God is in control, that He is with you, that He will strengthen and help you, and that He tenderly cares for you as a shepherd cares for his lambs, especially in the midst of trying and scary circumstances. (Click here for a free, downloadable PDF of Bible verses on fear and anxiety.)
 
Choosing to trust Jesus as my Shepherd who lovingly cares for me as His sheep, His precious lamb, fills me with hope and comfort instead of anxiety and fear. I don’t have to be afraid when the Shepherd walks with me, whether it’s in the valley of the shadow of death or in the valley of California wildfires, global pandemics, racial injustice, or national elections. In whatever fearful valley you find yourself in today, know that Jesus, the Good Shepherd, lovingly walks with you and will gently lead you through to peaceful green pastures and calming still waters.
 
 
Lord, You are the Good Shepherd who lovingly looks after Your sheep. I don’t need to hold onto fear, even when circumstances tell me otherwise. My truly safe place is inside where Your Spirit brings me the gifts of Your presence, strength, and peace. I thank You that You are sovereign and faithful to lead me through whatever valley I’m walking in today. Amen.
 
 
*Psalm 56:3 - When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
 
*Isaiah 41:10 - So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
 
*Philippians 4:6-7 - Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
 
*1 Peter 5:7 - Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
 
 
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Text and photograph copyright © 2020 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of grazing sheep in Paradise, near Queenstown, New Zealand.
 
 
A NOTE ABOUT RACIAL JUSTICE: The conversation on racial justice must continue. But change will not happen with only conversations and demonstrations. Cultural and legislative changes are key to dismantling systemic racism. Antiracism is a journey. Will you join me? Click here to check out my new website page on “Justice Matters”.
 
 
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™