Devotionals for the Heart: What to do when you feel overwhelmed

Putting the Overwhelm on a Shelf
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”—Matthew 6:34 (ESV)

Have you ever been so stressed out, overwhelmed, and anxiety-filled that you thought you were going to go mad with the turmoil?

I’ve been there! A lot of us have. My daughter recently started attending college as a freshman. I can only imagine how these kids feel having to deal with living in dorms and having all this freedom and yet also having to keep up with classes and not become overwhelmed.

Then there are the people who have just lost a job or a spouse, or been hit with a horrible health diagnosis, while life piles up around them. I imagine people living in nations overrun by war, famine, religious persecution, or political hostility. People who must worry about how to provide for their families in the midst of this turmoil. And then there’s the overwhelm many of us deal with just in regular, everyday life—the constant pressure of work and bills and family and responsibility. Maybe you’ve become weary in hearing all that talk about work-life balance, the need to be purposeful while also just getting through it all. It becomes overpowering at times and can make you feel like you’re drowning in the ocean.

It’s time for us to put the overwhelm on a shelf and trust that God is going to see us through it. This is all easier said than done, of course. Still, the metaphor of turning all that stress mess into a tangible item and placing it on a shelf, is a powerful one for me. I first learned how to do this about a decade ago when my young daughter who is diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, was being helped by a wise counselor who said exactly that: Visualize putting it on a shelf. Take all the stuff swirling through your mind, all the fears, and imagine taking it in your hands, putting it in a box, and just sticking it on the shelf. “Tell yourself you can always come back to it later,” she counseled. “Later you can take it out and deal with it if you really want to, but right now the best thing you can do is just put it on the shelf.”

Her counselor’s wise advice resonated with me on the soul level because it’s exactly what Jesus Christ spoke about in The Holy Bible. He taught his followers in chapter six of the book of Matthew not to be anxious about our daily needs, for God will provide for us just as he does for the birds. There’s no point in worrying because it won’t add even an hour to our lives. Rather, we need to fix our eyes upon God’s Kingdom—that’s our real priority.

“Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble,” Jesus said in Matthew 6:34 (ESV). It’s a message repeated throughout Scripture: Do not fear. Trust the Lord.

Fear is not just concern for your mortality; it’s also that burning, soul-crushing worry about how we’re going to get through a situation, the sort of worry that consumes us, getting in the way of everything else. That sort of fear can be paralyzing. It becomes a wall between us and the Lord.

Maybe we think worry is harmless. Maybe we scoff, “How can I not worry?” But if we realize the wall it builds—the wall that stands between us and our Creator (God), how it interferes with joy and hope and God’s purpose for us—it might make it easier to stuff that fear in a box and put it on the shelf so we can focus on the truly important.

I’m not sure who needs to hear this today. Perhaps we all do. I know I certainly do. But I hope you’ll name the worry in your heart, visualize putting it in a box, and set it aside. When you strip it of its power over you, the Lord replaces that space with more than you can imagine.

Let’s Pray: Dear Heavenly Father, some days it all seems like too much. My mind swirls with the press of it all. Help me surrender and lean on You, to have true faith that You are sovereign and will get me through anything in front of me right now. Help me to be still and know in the depths of my soul, in the entirety of my being, that You are everything, You have all the answers, and there is nothing on this earth that outweighs this. I love You, Lord. Help me, I pray. I give all of this to you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

~*~
Song of Reflection #1: “No Fear” by Jon Reddick. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “Everything” by Lauren Daigle. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio: 

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach. 

Her two Christian contemporary novels, The Memory Garden and Tangled Roots, are Amazon bestsellers and her third novel, Hidden Seeds, is out now and is a top release. Learn more about Jessica’s writing ministry and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com. 

She has a YouTube devotional, and you can also connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and more. She’s also produced a free eBook, A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When You’re Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed. She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism.

Devotionals for the Heart: We are forever safe in God's Hands

Safe in His Hands
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”

—Psalm 46:1 (NIV)

Are you an animal lover?

Perhaps you’re a dog lover or a cat lover (most people are one or the other). In my home we have a giant German Shepherd named Captain as well as three cats, Leia, Casper, and our decidedly unique ginger tabby, Finn, who seems to think he’s more a dog than a cat. My love for animals doesn’t just stop with pets. Having grown up in Florida, I’ve always adored common lizards. There’s something about their tiny little mouths and their gentle, watchful eyes that tugs at my heart.

Recently, I was with my daughter and some friends of hers who found a baby lizard. They picked the little fellow up and then passed him from hand to hand, marveling at his size and mannerisms. When he got to me, his poor little body quaked with terror. But after a few moments, as if he decided I was no threat, I saw him visibly begin to relax. His deep breaths began to slow and steady. Finally, we made eye contact, being to being, in a moment of gentle connection.

I felt like, at least for a moment, I was his safe place—his refuge. I certainly wanted to be. Sometimes I feel like that lizard in everyday life. Do you know what I mean? There are days and years, when I think my home or my car is a refuge. Maybe I think the health, auto, and life insurance plans I have are going to keep me or my family safe and protected, or the current peace in my community means I’m somehow immune to tragedy. Maybe I think my body won’t fail me or the money in my savings or retirement accounts will provide for all my needs.

But the truth is those are temporary. Only God is my real refuge.

Think about it—if I’m lucky, my body has maybe 100 years on it, but then what? It breaks down, and then it’s done. It’s not meant to last forever. Neither are any of the things of this world. Animals are born and then they die. Trees—even the oldest of them, giant live oaks or massive sequoias—eventually come to an end, whether from fire or other natural disaster or from human hands. Cliffs erode, earthquakes transform vistas, even islands cave into the seas.

And money? That’s certainly temporary. No matter how much we have while we’re alive, we don’t take it with us. What is eternal is the Lord, period—and if we belong to Him then our souls are eternal as well. But that’s only because of God’s great love for us, not because we have any worth or power on our own. He sent us His Son (Jesus Christ) as our Savior. If we choose to believe and follow Jesus, to repent of our sins and become His disciples then we’re guaranteed eternal life, salvation, and a place in our Heavenly Father’s house—a heavenly home that will last forever.

God provides that shelter, that refuge. Only God, out of the vast and gracious and merciful love He has for all of us. If we choose Him, we will live with Him forever. For a moment when I held that baby lizard on that sunshiny afternoon, I was his temporary refuge. But his real refuge is the Lord, just as mine is.

As Psalm 46:1-7 (NIV) proclaims, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

Let’s Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father,

Sometimes I look around me and think the things of this world protect me, but they are only an illusion. They are temporary and impermanent. But you, my loving Father God—Abba, Creator of the Universe—are my true refuge. You are my rock and my salvation. You are my forever home. Thank You for loving me enough, for loving all your imperfect children enough, to be that refuge despite of our shortcomings. Please help me to love You with my whole heart now and forever. Help me to lead others to You as well. In Jesus’s name I pray, Amen.

~*~
Song of Reflection #1: “Safe” by Alisa Turner. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “Every Moment” by Forever Jones. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #3: “Into the Sea (It’s Gonna Be Ok)” by Tasha Layton. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach. 

Her two Christian contemporary novels, The Memory Garden and Tangled Roots, are Amazon bestsellers and her third novel, Hidden Seeds, is out now and is a top release. Jessica has a YouTube devotional, and you can also connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and more. She’s also produced a free eBook, A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When You’re Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed.

Jessica is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism. Learn more about Jessica’s writing ministry and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com.

Devotionals for the Heart: What a squirrel taught me about God's love

What a Terrified Squirrel Reminded Me About God’s Love
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

“O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures.”—Psalm 104:24 (NLT)

Eye to eye outside my front door window, we watched each other. Me, sleepy in my workout clothes, ready to head upstairs to hop on the treadmill. Him, a terrified brown squirrel, clinging to the tree outside my door in terror.

I froze in my tracks, gazing at him. He didn’t move a muscle as his brown eyes locked on mine. I could almost see the thoughts coming from his brain: “Does she see me? Am I in danger? Maybe if I don’t move then she’ll think I’m part of the tree. Wait, is that nut still up there?”

Seconds ticked by. A full minute. I didn’t want to terrify the poor creature further, so in a moment I would slink away, letting him know he was truly safe after all. Yet I couldn’t help but marvel at him. His muscles bunched tight. His luminous brown eyes. The way his fingers, so childlike and delicate, clung to the slender tree trunk. He was a marvel, that squirrel! God’s precious creation. And for a moment, we saw each other. Fully. Finally, guilt set in at how scared I was probably making him, and I broke our eye contact and retreated upstairs.

Yet as I walked on that treadmill belt, I couldn’t stop thinking about that squirrel. About his tender, almost human-like hands. About those wide, chocolate-brown eyes. To God, that squirrel is likely as precious as I am. As you are. As that bird in the sky is. As that lonely man in the alley is, chasing away his demons in a bottle of something toxic. As that angry-eyed girl on the street is, keeping the world at arm’s length with her scowl and her fierce clothing.

All of us, every single one of us, is handcrafted in the image of God. Even the animals are perfectly designed—not necessarily, as humans—in the full image of God, but with that same amount of care and love and painstaking architecture. It doesn’t take much to look around and see God’s love everywhere. Even a leaf, with its delicate symmetry, shows that love, that attention, from our glorious Creator.

Our Father God cares for us, every one of us. Yet what do we do in return?

Sometimes we take that love for granted, becoming so consumed by our own lives and selfish concerns that we forget to be grateful for the breath in our lungs and the simple gift of our bodies. Sometimes we treat other people with disdain or show a complete lack of admiration and care for the world around us. We trash our forests and fill our air with toxins. We push our animals out into increasingly fewer spaces outdoors with overbuilding and urban sprawl. We overhunt and overindulge to our heart’s content. But if we only open our eyes, we will realize that loving God means loving others. It means loving His creation as much as we love ourselves.

Here are a few scriptures that point to God’s care:

- Genesis 1:31 (NLT) says, “Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!”

- Psalm 24:1 (NLT) says, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.”

- Romans 1:20 (NLT) says, “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.”

We have no excuse. So, let’s open our eyes and see God all around us. And in return, let us celebrate His creation—from the animals to the earth to the people around us—with love and deep gratitude.

Let’s Pray: Heavenly Father, thank You for the great love You have for me and all your creation. Help me honor You with my life and with all the love I can muster. Instill in me a heart of gratitude and care, now and forevermore. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

~*~
Song of Reflection #1: “The Maker” by Chris August. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “For the Beauty of the Earth” by Barlow Girl. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #3: "God So Loved" by Jaci Velasquez. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach. 

Her two Christian contemporary novels, The Memory Garden and Tangled Roots, are Amazon bestsellers and her third novel, Hidden Seeds, is out now and is a top release. Learn more about Jessica’s writing ministry and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com.

Jessica is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism. She has a YouTube devotional, and you can also connect with her on Facebook and Instagram.

Jessica also produced a free eBook, A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When You’re Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed.

Devotionals for the Heart: When you realize God is writing your life story

All the Little Stories Becoming One
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”—Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

Have you ever looked back on your life and been struck by how it all seems to fit together like a pattern you couldn’t see while you were living it?

I released my third Christian contemporary novel recently, Hidden Seeds, and during an interview with a news publication, something hit me like a splash of cold water: these books are an echo of the work I’ve been doing for the last 16 years.

Sixteen years ago this month, I was hired as editor of a Christian denominational newspaper called the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, and my life has changed in so many wonderful ways since. I was already a Christian when I started, but my faith walk deepened significantly once I took the position. How could it not? I was surrounded by pastors and church leaders consistently modeling discipleship, day after day. And as the primary writer for the publication, month after month—for 16 years—I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to write about churches, pastors, and everyday Christians doing God’s work. That work takes every imaginable form: coffee ministries, reaching the unchurched through robotics, faith-based summer camps, mission trips, and so much more.

As I spoke with the interviewer, I heard myself say: “So many of the people, the ministries, and the stories from these last 16 years as a Christian journalist are peppered throughout the entire series of novels.” The realization was profound—and it filled me with overwhelming gratitude.

These 16 years have shaped me on a soul level like nothing else. I’ve always been grateful, always loved this work, and I’ve always known I’m blessed to hold this position. But it had never quite hit me this way before. Now I understand: Being a storyteller has changed me. In the telling, I’ve been transformed, inspired, and made new. To learn firsthand from the people who lived these stories, then to share them with others? What a glorious thing.

Now, looking back over the books I have written—and knowing the story for Book 4 that is already taking shape in my mind—I see how these years and all their stories are intricately woven into the characters and the town. As the saying goes, “You cannot pour from an empty cup.” Well, apparently, I’ve been pouring from a cup brimming with evidence of God’s people doing his will all across this state. That abundance lives in the pages of the Advocate . . . and within my novels.

Life gets hectic, and our thoughts get weighed down by daily concerns and distractions. We forget to step back, to take the long view, to marvel at what God is doing in the full sweep of our lives. It reminds me of watching my kids grow. Because I’m with them every single day, I don’t notice the slow climb from 4-foot-11 to 5-foot-1 to 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-10—until one day I look over and realize they’re taller than I am. That’s what happened to me in this moment of recognition.

God is the master storyteller, and He weaves all our little stories into His grand narrative—even when we can’t see it happening.

So, I want to ask you: What stories are quietly accumulating in your own life right now? What experiences, relationships, or seasons might be more connected than they appear? We don’t always get to see the pattern while we’re living inside it. But it’s there. God is writing something in you, through you. And one day, if you stop and look, you just might catch a glimpse of the whole beautiful design.

Let’s Pray: Lord, thank You for the opportunities you give me in life. Even if I can’t see the plan, I know you are behind the scenes, working it all out for your good and your glory. Help me hold fast to gratitude and trust your will and all the ways you are using me. In Jesus’s Name, I pray. Amen.

~*~
Song of Reflection #1: “God is in This Story” by Katy Nichole. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “Glorious Unfolding” by Steven Curtis Chapman. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #3: “Just the Beginning” by Kurt Carr (feat. Vonnie Lopez). Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach. 

Her two Christian contemporary novels, The Memory Garden and Tangled Roots, are Amazon bestsellers and her third novel, Hidden Seeds, is out now and is a #1 New Release. Learn more about Jessica’s writing ministry and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com. 

She has a YouTube devotional, and you can also connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and more. She’s also produced a free eBook, A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When You’re Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed. She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism.

Devotionals for the Heart: Learning from the example set by Jesus Christ

Whose Feet Are You Washing?
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”

—John 13:14-15 (NIV)

How can we move beyond loving only our own and embrace the radical, foot-washing love Jesus Christ calls every one of us to live out?

Have you ever been caught completely off-guard by powerfully unselfish love for another person? By nature, we humans are pretty selfish creatures. I know I was certainly selfish and rather self-centered for many years until I had my kids. I’m certain I didn’t consider myself terribly selfish or self-centered at the time, but looking back, it was crystal clear.

But as soon as I found out I was pregnant, everything changed. I’m not sure if it was an emotional or spiritual urge or a biological instinct or what, but suddenly I didn’t much care what I wanted. I cared for what was best for my child. I ate foods that were ideal for the baby growing within me, and later when I was nursing, I even cut out coffee because my little one seemed sensitive to it. My whole lifestyle shifted.

That’s what happens in my Christian contemporary novel Hidden Seeds, which releases tomorrow as a paperback, audiobook, and e-book. One of the main characters, Laney, spent many years in a human trafficking ring. It was in jail, after they ran some tests on her and she discovered she was pregnant, that suddenly, everything changed. Determined to do right by her child, she testified against the ring leaders and entered witness protection. Later, she changed her name and hair and moved far away, doing her best to give her daughter a safe and wholesome life—a life nothing like the one she herself had led.

She no longer lived for self but for someone else. For something bigger. It’s not only mothers who experience this, of course, though most of us would be hard-pressed to live unselfishly and sacrificially for someone besides our offspring, biological or not. That’s the very thing Jesus Christ did for us—sacrifice. Unselfish living. Extravagant mercy and generosity. And as Christians, it’s the very thing we’re supposed to model. Yet do we?

Our Savior (Jesus Christ) died on the cross for us. He endured ridicule and suffering for us. He lived in poverty, preaching and teaching for three long years, so all could hear his good news. The night before he was betrayed, as he and his disciples ate their meal at the Last Supper, Jesus stripped off his outer clothing, knelt, and personally handwashed every single one of his friends’ feet. Their feet!

Later, when he resurrected and walked again among his disciples, he taught them that they needed to spend the rest of their lives doing as he did—suffering, serving and teaching others, and preaching the good news to have every corner of the earth, come what may.

Our society teaches us something far different, doesn’t it? We live in a me-first society and have for millennia, where our personal happiness and that of our loved ones surpass every other concern. We protect ourselves, our families, our communities, and our nation at the expense of others. Sometimes that’s because it’s human instinct, but other times it’s out of fear. Yet we, the followers of Jesus, are not of this world. As Christ-followers, we cannot reserve our unselfish and sacrificial love only for our offspring or our family or friends. We must love the whole world that way, even at our own expense.

Jesus said that after loving God, our second greatest commandment is to love others as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40). Therefore, let’s take that seriously and give more than lip service to what our savior commanded. This week, ask God to show you one person outside your inner circle who needs your unselfish love—and then act on it. It may cost you something. That’s exactly the point.

~*~

Song of Reflection: "Know Us By Our Love" by Moriah. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach. 

Her newest novel Hidden Seeds, an Amazon #1 new release, is available now as a paperback, e-book, and audiobook. Find it on Amazon. Learn more about Jessica’s writing ministry and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com. She has a YouTube devotional, and you can also connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and more. She’s also produced a free eBook, A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When You’re Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed.

Devotionals for the Heart: Why we should always pray about everything

Why ‘Pray about Everything’ Means More Than We Think
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”—Philippians 4:6 (NLT)

I’ll be honest—I used to hear that scripture, “pray about everything,” and bristle because it felt like a flippant platitude, a pat saying people who had their lives together might offer. You’re probably familiar with it, because it’s a much beloved and well-known scripture (Philippians 4:6).

As a woman who’s been a prayer warrior for a long time, I know the value of prayer, and I’ve been praying intently for a long time. But I confess that the phrasing, as well as the fact that I’d see it everywhere from T-shirts to coffee cups, used to make the verse feel like a nursery rhyme, something we just say as if it were the easy answer to all of life’s problems. Your spouse died? Pray about it. You’ve got cancer? Pray about it. Money is tight this month? Pray about it. You’ve got a hangnail? Pray about it.

Maybe that’s how you feel sometimes, too. Maybe you’re knee-deep right now in heavy suffering that has broken your heart. Maybe you’ve been fervently praying every day, on your knees to God, and getting what feels like silence, and the doubts have begun to creep in. Maybe you wonder if He even cares. Here’s the real truth: God does care. And prayer really does help. I have learned that this scripture is no nursery rhyme platitude or easy, pat suggestion flippantly uttered when life goes awry.

When the Apostle Paul tells us we’re supposed to pray about everything, he really means it. He means everything. And it’s not for the reason we might think, which is that prayer gets us stuff. The point of prayer is not to treat God like some genie who’s there to grant our wishes because we love Him and because we are His children, that somehow we are “deserving” of his favor. The point of prayer is to serve as a conversation with our Creator, our Heavenly Father, the one who knitted us together in our mother’s womb. Prayer is a lifeline because it keeps us in connection with the Lord.

The truth is that it doesn’t actually matter how He answers the prayer, either. God is God regardless. What matters is that we know God is God, that we know He’s the only one truly worth talking to or who can do anything about our situation. That we know he’s the only one who genuinely understands why it’s so hard and why we need help. That’s why going to Him consistently and constantly—whether that’s for something really minuscule and petty or something life-shattering—is so important. It all goes back to what Jesus Christ taught in John 15, about how He is the vine and we are the branches. In this Scripture, Jesus was talking about how He is the way to eternal life and that by believing in Him, we become God’s children, too. We get salvation and eternal life, and we get to be connected to God the Father through Jesus and through the power of the Holy Spirit living inside of us.

Whatever we can do to fan the flames, to increase the strength of that connection, is important. That means prayer, yes. But also it means spending time in nature, reading God’s Word (The Holy Bible), connecting with other people or animals, and loving our neighbor with all of our heart.

Take heart: “Pray about everything” is no nursery rhyme or flippant response. It is a way for us to actively work on our connection to God, our Heavenly Father, who loves us extravagantly and perfectly, and it’s a way for us to love Him back.

Let’s Pray: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for your great love for me and for all your children. Thank You for letting someone like me, a mere human being, be allowed and encouraged to talk with You and go to You with my problems and trust that You do care regardless of how You choose to answer my prayer. Thank You that I can go to you in all things big and small. I love you, God. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

~*~
Song of Reflection #1: “Pray” by CeCe Winans. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “Prayers I Pray” by Katy Nichole. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #3: “Don’t Stop Praying” by Matthew West. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #4: “Pray On” by Babbie Mason. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach. 

Her two Christian contemporary novels, The Memory Garden and Tangled Roots, are Amazon bestsellers. Her third novel, Hidden Seeds, releases in May 2026 and is available now for pre-order.

She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism. Learn more about Jessica’s writing ministry and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com. She has a YouTube devotional, and you can also connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and more. She’s also produced a free eBook, A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When You’re Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed.

Devotionals for the Heart: What plants taught me about turning to Christ

Leaning Toward the Light
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

“Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.’”—Luke 19:39-40 (NIV)

Have you ever really paid attention to the little kernels of joy God gives us in the everyday? He gives us signs and promises in even the most mundane or commonplace things. For example, my house plants.

As much as I’d love to say otherwise, I’m not terribly great at all things domestic. But one thing I’ve mastered is taking care of my house plants. Through hard work, I’ve figured out how to keep them alive. I’ve actually had one since before my son was born—and my son just turned 20.

My plants—seven at last count—are all grouped together behind my kitchen sink in this little triangular nook, nestled between two large windows. What I think is so neat is how they tilt. It doesn’t matter how I turn them or what position they started out in, but after I’ve watered them for the week, as the week progresses, I noticed them curving ever so slightly to the left, toward where they get the brightest morning sun. Their entire bodies seem to quiver in expectation of the love and nurturing they get from that sunlight. After all, they need that light to grow and thrive, to be healthy and strong.

We are a lot like those plants, only our life source isn’t necessarily the sun—it’s the Son (Jesus Christ), right along with the Father (God) and the Holy Spirit. God, three in one, is the preserver and savior and lover of our souls, the one who provides the only things we truly need.

We think we need the things of this world to survive. We think we need money and shelter and all those other creature comforts, but really we just need the Lord because He provides everything else. He provides exactly what we need, and He takes care of us in every circumstance.

Yet in response, what do we do? Like my house plants, do we swivel our bodies and our hearts and our minds toward Him, desperate for His love and all He provides? Do we stay where we are, sturdy in our own prideful, misguided notion that we can take care of ourselves just fine, thank you very much? Or do we turn the other way and seek comfort in things that have nothing to do with Him? Things like worldly, fleshly pleasures?

I think my plants know best. And I think we’d all do well to mimic them—to let our whole selves naturally incline toward the Lord. Reach for Him. Long for Him. Dance for Him. Bask in His love.

Like the plants, we were created intentionally for the Lord. As sentient beings, we have free will—the will to turn our lives toward God or away. But I think deep down we know what we were created for, and what is truly best for us, just like the plants do and just like animals do.

We were created for the Lord.

I choose to act that way. I hope you do, too.

Let’s Pray: 

Dear Lord, 

I love You—but I don’t always act that way. Sometimes I let other things get in the way of my love for You, my focus on You, and the things You want me to focus upon. I let my worldly wants and cares distract me from what is most important. Help me to honor the pure and righteous relationship You created me to have with You. Help me to push aside the unimportant and instead to focus on You, your love, and your intended purposes for my life. And help me to love others in your name, now and forevermore. In Jesus’s Name I pray.

Amen.

~*~
Song of Reflection #1: “Thirst for You” by CeCe Winans. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “Artist of My Soul” by Sandi Patty. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach. She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism. 

Her two Christian contemporary novels, The Memory Garden and Tangled Roots, are Amazon bestsellers. Her third novel, Hidden Seeds, releases in May.

Learn more about Jessica’s writing ministry and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com. 

She has a YouTube devotional, and you can also connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and more. She’s also produced a free eBook, A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When You’re Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed.

Devotionals for the Heart: How to be still and listen for God's whispers

God’s Whisper Always Cuts Through the Chaos
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”— Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

Have you ever been to an orchestra concert?

My son plays the viola in an orchestra, so we’ve been to plenty over the years.

Before the concert gets started, everybody’s warming up onstage, and it sounds like a chaos of noise. But then, at last, a single note rings out as the concertmaster plays, and the other string instruments strive to match that note, perfectly in tune. In an instant, chaos becomes order. Soon enough, the conductor onstage lifts his or her hands, and beautiful music begins to soar.

I think of that chaos sometimes when I think of our world. Everybody’s busy doing their own thing and experiencing their own troubles. People are born and they die. Marriages begin and they end. We go about our work and rush around in traffic and weave in and out of our days, and it’s all just . . . noise sometimes. But then a single note rings out, God’s whisper! His beautiful breath of life. And suddenly our ears attune to Him. Our voices become slow and steady, our work stills, and we—along with all creation—turn to honor the One, the Creator, the Alpha and the Omega, the Lord God Almighty.

I imagine that’s how it will be in the end days when the trumpet sounds. I imagine that’s how it was in the Garden of Eden when God spoke the universe into creation. I imagine that’s how it was when Elijah so desperately craved hearing God’s voice in his darkness and finally realized it was there—not in the wind or the earthquake or the raging fire, but in the whisper (1 Kings 19:11-13).

God speaks order into creation quite often. What can we mere human beings do but stop everything and listen? We are so busy and distracted all the time, my friends. All of us that distraction is a tool Satan uses to confuse us and skew our priorities. But we serve a God of order, balance, love, and perfection—not chaos. I imagine that is why Psalm 46:10 (NIV) resonates with so many of us when in that verse, God said, “Be still, and know that I am God.”

Be still, all you people. Settle down all your rushing to and fro. Bask in God’s timeless knowledge and merciful peace. We are not God, and we are not gods. But we are oh, so blessed, to belong to Him. May we surrender our hearts, our minds and our souls to him daily—now and forever.

Let’s Pray: Heavenly God, thank You so much for Your calm, true, perfect, and steady presence and love. Help us look to You even the world feels like chaos. Help us remember You are the truth and nothing else matters. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection #1: “Be Still and Know” by Steven Curtis Chapman. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “Speak” by Bethany Music. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach. She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism. 

Her two Christian contemporary novels, The Memory Garden and Tangled Roots, are Amazon bestsellers. Learn more about Jessica’s writing ministry and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com.

She has a YouTube devotional, and you can also connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and more. Jessica also produced a free eBook, A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When You’re Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed.

Devotionals for the Heart: Why we should surrender to God every day

Surrendering to the Source
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”—1 Peter 5:6 (NIV)

Have you ever done something you’re really not good at? Have you done it intentionally, even though you’re not naturally gifted or even simply okay at it, knowing it was somehow good for you? Still enjoyable? Still worth the exercise?

The other night, my kids and I were painting at our kitchen table. I always laugh when I get artistic because I have long claimed that I write because I have no talent as a painter. I use words to paint my pictures.

Still, I like to paint. Although I’m not terribly good at it, it’s fun. I love to play with color and see images come to life beneath my fingers. We started painting during the COVID-19 pandemic because we needed something to do as a family besides watch TV and go for walks. And while we don’t do it often, especially now that my son is off to college, when he’s home on breaks we usually try to dabble a bit.

My poor kids, though . . . I didn’t mean to, but as a recovering perfectionist, I’ve somehow raised two perfectionists—particularly my oldest, who plays first-chair viola in his college orchestra, majors in finance, and has always been tremendously hard on himself. He kept berating himself as we painted for not being able to get his lines straight or be as precise as he wanted.

“Stop beating yourself up!” we all told him. “It looks really good.” And it did! He just laughed. “I’m a perfectionist. I can’t help myself! It’s killing me not to do this right.”

I looked at him over our canvases. “But remember—whenever you do things out of your comfort zone, you’re stretching your brain. You’re using different muscles. You’re making yourself better in some way. I always say that every time I pick up a paintbrush I become a better writer.”

My own words have stayed with me since then. It’s true, isn’t it? And it’s not just because we’re stretching different sides of our brain. Whenever we do something out of our comfort zone, it’s scary, but it always makes us better.

I see a huge spiritual lesson in this. Think about all the times you’ve had to relinquish control and depend on God. Remember how it ultimately made you better, deeper, stronger in the Lord? Really ponder this—for me, it’s been every single time.

Consider in Scripture how Peter jumped out of the boat and walked on water toward Jesus Christ (Matthew 14:22-33). He certainly didn’t do this in his own strength, but because of faith—he was entirely dependent on his trust in Jesus, and that faith gave him the ability to do supernatural things.

Later, his faith enabled him to heal in the Lord’s name and to do other miracles. Jesus taught in John 15:1-17 how he is the vine and we are the branches. Apart from Him, we can do nothing, yet in Him, because of our connection to Him, we can thrive and grow in ways unimaginable. It’s not that we ourselves are better. But in surrendering and letting him take over, we’re surrendering to the full power of the Holy Spirit within us. That’s when the true work happens. That’s when we become what we can never become on our own.

I have no illusions I’ll ever be a painting prodigy. But I do know that practicing the art of surrender is good for my brain and good for my soul. The most beautiful things I’ve ever written have come from a source deep inside of me that is connected to the One—God Almighty, the Alpha and the Omega. I have no illusions it comes from me or any talent I possess. It is a combination of my hard work and my willingness to surrender to the Creator who somehow miraculously lives within me.

This year, instead of worrying about becoming the best version of you possible, maybe consider how you can surrender to the One who handcrafted the very universe around us all. That is the true measure of greatness.

And the true evidence of His love.

Let’s Pray: Lord, my ego sometimes tells me the good things I do come from me—my talent, my work, my giftedness. But apart from You, I am nothing. On my own, I am lost. Help me remember that I become worthy only in my connection to You and help me learn to surrender to You daily. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection #1: “What Faith Can Do” by Kutless. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “I Surrender All” by CeCe Winans. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #3: “I Surrender” by Hillsong Worship. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach. 

She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism. Her two Christian contemporary novels, The Memory Garden and Tangled Roots, are Amazon bestsellers.

Learn more about Jessica’s writing ministry and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com. She has a YouTube devotional, and you can also connect with her on Facebook and Instagram.

She’s also produced a free eBook, A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When You’re Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed.

Devotionals for the Heart: How to handle it when Christmastime hurts

When Christmas Hurts: Celebrating Through Loss and Change
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

—John 13:35 NIV

Turn on the radio or flip on the television, and it doesn’t take long to be reminded this is the happiest time of the year. Except …what if it’s not?

What if, in many ways, this is the hardest time of year for you?

I’ve always looked forward to Christmastime. As a kid, I remember being absolutely giddy with excitement, and it often had nothing to do with what was waiting under the Christmas tree. What caught me up was that glorious buzz of joyful energy from the loved ones all around me—all the laughing grown-ups excited to see each other, everyone dressed up in something festive, all the whispered secrets about gifts and hopes, spinning together to create what felt like a magical time.

Later, when I grew up and had my own kids, it was exciting just to watch them experience that Christmas joy for themselves—going to church, singing the hymns and lighting the candles, picking out gifts for each other. As the years have passed, though, my circle is slowly growing smaller. My grandparents have all passed away, as have my dad, my stepmom, and my favorite aunt. Beloved in-laws, too. My sister lives hours away, my uncle is clear across the country, and I can’t remember the last time I saw the cousin who used to be my best childhood friend.

Loved ones I used to see every holiday are now people I haven’t seen in ages. Two of our four kids are now off to college, and though they’ll be home for Christmas break, it’s different now that the kids are older. Everything feels different, smaller, slightly off-kilter. More subdued. I’m still joyful, still blessed. Yet the difference feels palpable somehow.

Maybe that’s you—maybe you normally love Christmastime, yet the pang of loss cuts deep right now. Maybe you’ve lost a spouse, children, siblings, or a close friend this year, and there’s little laughter this season. Every gleam of joy brings along with it a sharp and painful reminder of the one you’ve lost. Or perhaps you’re struggling with difficult health diagnosis, a broken relationship, financial catastrophe, or mental illness. Whatever it is, the holidays are hard for you, and you struggle to gain even a glimmer of cheer.

The truth is that despite the messages around us trying to tell us what Christmas is “supposed” to be and how we’re “supposed” to feel, the reality is that Christmas is none of those things. The expectations we’ve created around this time of year pale in comparison to the perfect truth about why we celebrate it in the first place. We celebrate Christmas because we celebrate the birth of our Savior (Jesus Christ) who is God in human form, word become flesh who lived, suffered, and then died as a sacrifice for our sins…only to rise again and lead us to eternal life (John 3:16).

And so—even as my heart sometimes aches for those I’ve lost this time of year, while all the songs on the radio tell me how things should be—what helps is remembering the real reason for the season. What helps is loving the ones who are around me now, even as I miss the ones who are no longer with me.

Loving the people in my world today is not only a way that I can claim joy in the season, but it’s also a way that I can honor the gift of Jesus Christ and the birth of my Savior. After all, Jesus told His disciples the world will know who they are—His—by their love for one another (John 13:35). Love really is the greatest truth of all and the most important thing to remember.

Wherever you are this holiday season—grieving and heartbroken, happy and content, or a little bit gloomy and cynical—remember this: Love is the one thing that carries on from Christmas to Christmas. The love of Jesus Christ for all of us, and the love we have for each other in His name.

If you’re struggling this year, can I pray for you? Reach out to me privately.

Let’s Pray: Lord, help me to remember the true reason we celebrate Christmas. It’s not the lights or the gifts or the celebrations but the fact that You came into this world, Emmanuel—God with us. You chose to live as a human, then suffer and die as a sacrifice so that we could join You in eternity. What a true gift that is. No matter what my feelings right now, please help me remember this. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection #1: “We Are the Reason” by AVALON. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “How Beautiful” by Twila Paris. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach. She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism. 

Her two Christian contemporary novels, The Memory Garden and Tangled Roots, are Amazon bestsellers. Learn more about Jessica’s writing ministry and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com.

She has a YouTube devotional, and you can also connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and more. She’s also produced a free eBook, A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When You’re Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed.

Devotionals for the Heart: God wants us to properly care for our bodies

Is Self-Care Selfish?
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

“Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.”—Luke 12:7 (ESV)

Have you ever given a gift to someone and felt unreasonably protective about taking care of that gift before you gave it to them?

If I go to the store and buy something for myself, it can roll around in the back of my trunk until I get home, and I’m not terribly worried about it. But if I’ve bought a birthday gift for someone, I make sure it’s nestled carefully in my trunk so it won’t get trampled by the other things back there. Then when I get home, I keep it somewhere safe—preferably where the cats can’t massacre it—until I have the time to wrap it, topping it all off with a nice bow before I present it to them with love. I take care of that gift, making sure it’s in as good a shape as possible before it winds up in the hands of my loved one. After all, it’s a gift. It’s something precious, a tangible representation of my love and care.

But do we take care of ourselves, our bodies, with that same measure of care? Truthfully, not always. Perhaps we forget sometimes that our bodies are also a gift. Not only are they a gift that God gave to us—human houses for our souls, as well as the Holy Spirit who lives inside all believers—but also a gift that’s meant to be given away. We’re meant to lay down our lives for those we love (1 John 3:16), as well as to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice to the Lord (Romans 12:1). We’re meant to die to the old so that we can embrace the new (Romans 6:5-6, Ephesians 4:22-24, 2 Corinthians 5:17, John 3:3).

That’s not because our bodies are worthless garbage. It’s because it’s a genuine gift. Our bodies are one thing we can fully offer to the Lord, whether that’s in service or in sacrifice, whether that’s offering our life by defending the weak and the “least of these” or in living sacrifice as we respond in the aftermath of disasters, or by visiting prisoners, tending the ill, praising the Lord through music or dance, or feeding and caring for those without homes or food. Our bodies are precious, meant to be used in love, service, and care.

However, many of us see self-care as selfish. Perhaps we think if we’re truly being sacrificial, we are supposed to push ourselves until there’s nothing left. We work our lives away as though our bodies mean nothing. We put junk food in our bellies, we don’t get adequate sleep, we don’t take time to move and stretch and build our muscles, and then to feel better—or numb our pain, or maybe because we think it’s fun—we expose our bodies to toxic chemicals like drugs, too much alcohol, or other substances. We allow our bodies and our minds to get consumed by stress instead of stopping to tend the houses of our souls, the physical homes of the Holy Spirit on earth.

And perhaps we think there’s nothing wrong with that. But just like plants need to be cared for in order to produce crops or flowers, just like churches need tending and financial support to be able to truly be the body of Jesus Christ in the world, our bodies also have needs. They need for us to take care of them properly in the world for the Lord.

If you think about it, our bodies are a gift from God. They’re meant to be used by us, yes. But they’re also meant to be given away by us to the Lord, whatever that looks like. And if we’re truly intending for our bodies to be a gift, we shouldn’t be treating them like trash. I wouldn’t let my mom’s birthday gift roll around in my trunk, getting crushed and mangled, only to present it to her with a sheepish grin, “Here you go! Sorry it’s a catastrophe!”

Our bodies are the same. We don’t want to present them to the Lord in poor shape. So no, self-care is not selfish. It’s stewardship. It’s an act of love care and respect for a gift that God gave  us in his perfect love.

If you’re struggling to see your body in this way, stop and consider how God might view how you’re treating yourself. If that’s difficult to wrap your mind around, then consider how you might react to a small child hurting herself, driving herself to the point of pain and debilitation. Wouldn’t you encourage her to take a nap, have a good meal, or slow down and rest? That’s how God feels about you and about every one of His children on this earth.

Our bodies are precious to the Lord. Every aspect of who you are is precious to the Lord. Remember this.

Let’s Pray: Lord God, sometimes I treat myself like an afterthought but I’m no afterthought to You. I was created in perfect love, handcrafted by You. Help me honor Your love in the way I treat myself and care for my body, mind, and soul. Help me care for the gift You gave with proper stewardship that honors You. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “Sanctuary | Alpha & Omega | Total Praise” by Israel & New Breed. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach. She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism. 

Her two Christian contemporary novels, The Memory Garden and Tangled Roots, are Amazon bestsellers. Learn more about Jessica’s writing ministry and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com.

She has a YouTube devotional, and you can also connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and more. She’s also produced a free eBook, A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When You’re Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed.

Devotionals for the Heart: How to find hope in broken relationships

Finding Hope in Broken Relationships
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here.”—2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

Have you ever loved someone who ended up disappointing you? Maybe they hurt you emotionally, or betrayed you, or perhaps they did something to another person so awful you had to cut ties with them?

Broken relationships are one of the hardest things we humans navigate during our lifetime. The pain we experience, and the decisions we have to make, can be difficult and even traumatic. In my life I’ve rarely had to completely break ties with someone I’ve loved, but I’ve had to put firm boundaries in place. Even that can be tremendously challenging.

Perhaps because it’s so hard, it’s one of the topics I find myself coming back to over and over again, not only in my faith blogs and other nonfiction but in my fiction. I’m particularly drawn to difficult family relationships—mostly because you often feel “stuck” with your family, so you’re forced to find creative ways to deal with tension and brokenness. And sometimes those methods are decidedly imperfect. For instance, the sibling relationship is one of the most complicated and extraordinarily beautiful that we’ll ever experience. But sometimes, horribly painful circumstances can erect walls between siblings—walls so high they cause permanent damage.

That’s the crux of my latest novel, Tangled Roots, explores the broken relationship between Tiff and James, a brother and sister who were once so close they relied on each other for survival—but now they can barely speak to each other.

Tiff and James grew up in a dilapidated former mill town, two children of abusive, alcoholic parents. James was Tiff’s protector throughout her childhood—her hero—but their lives took two very different paths. He joined a gang and wound up locked up in prison for a hate crime, while she got a college scholarship and moved far away, burying herself in her faith and her future. Now, in peaceful Dahlia, South Carolina, she’s finally built the respectable life she’s always craved. With a proposal from her upstanding boyfriend Bobby, everything seems perfect.

Then she gets word that her brother has been released from prison—and his parole officer wants him to join Tiff in Dahlia. But Tiff hasn’t told anyone, including her fiancé, about her past—or about her brother. Nor has she forgiven her brother for the wrongs he’s done, or for abandoning her to survive the chaos of their family alone. And she can’t believe her brother really has become a born-again Christian and wants to turn his life around, despite his letters and his pleas. She’s also not convinced that she herself won’t repeat the cycle her family started.

I won’t tell you anything else, because I hope you’ll read the book and see how Jesus Christ triumphs over this seemingly irredeemable situation. But here’s the not-so-secret real-life secret: Jesus does fix our broken, seemingly irredeemable, seemingly unfixable messes.

I’m fascinated with Christian redemption stories, the way that deeply flawed people undergo a profound, miraculous transformation as they see the proverbial light and begin to walk God’s path for their lives. Perhaps it’s because I myself am a redemption story, and I’ve seen the powerful and beautiful ways God works in our lives. At its core, that’s where this book originates—in the notion that no matter how far away someone seems from Christ, no matter how many wrongs they’ve done or how bad a sin they might have committed, no one is exempt from the saving grace of Jesus Christ. No one, no matter what. There is room for everyone at God’s table.

God’s love is that powerful. One of my favorite Bible verses is 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV). It reads, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here.” That’s how big God’s love for us is—we who genuinely believe have the opportunity for a do-over, a rewrite, a truly fresh start, no matter what. In our relationships, sometimes that’s not possible or healthy. But with God, it’s different. God wipes our slate clean.

If you’re someone who, like me, has had to navigate your share of broken real-life relationships, take heart. On this side of Heaven, things don’t always get resolved. But sometimes they do. Yet no matter what, you can be certain Jesus is walking right beside you. He knows your pain and your heartache, your baggage and your guilt, your anger and your anguish. And he can help.

Let’s Pray: Lord, thank You for your willingness to shine your pure and holy light into the darkest of circumstances and the darkest of relationships. Thank You for meeting me in my pain and understanding the whole situation. I surrender all to You and your healing mercy. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection #1: "I Surrender All" by CeCe Winans. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: "The Master's Hand" by Annie Herring. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #3: "Broken and Beautiful" by Mark Schultz. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #4: "Testimony" by Terrian. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach. She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism. 

Her two Christian contemporary novels, The Memory Garden and Tangled Roots, are Amazon bestsellers. Learn more about Jessica’s writing ministry and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com. She has a YouTube devotional, and you can also connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and more. She’s also produced a free eBook, A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When You’re Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed.

Devotionals for the Heart: What it means to follow Jesus Christ's example

Modeling Faith Like a Mama Bear
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

“For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate.”

—2 Thessalonians 3:7-9 (NIV)

Have you ever seen a wild black bear rather close to you?

I have a few times, and it’s such a beautiful experience—beautiful, that is, when relative safety is within reach.

Last weekend, we went to the Great Smoky Mountains, and black bears frequently roam the little neighborhood around the cabin where we stayed. On a couple of mornings while we were there, a mama bear startled me by walking right down the center of the neighborhood’s main street.

She swaggered like she owned the place, which she clearly did, acknowledging me with a head nod as if to say, “Hey, weak human. Stay out of my way, but I mean you no harm. And good morning to you.” Following closely behind her were her two older cubs.

She sauntered down the street and nosed in the bushes for a few minutes, then—as my daughter and I watched safely from our Jeep—she casually walked right next to us and down the grassy hill right next to our cabin. Her cubs followed faithfully behind, learning at her feet, watching her every move, following and obeying with rapt attention. One of the cubs fell a little behind, checking something out on his own, and clearly Mama Bear told him to hurry up, because after a minute, he went barreling down the hill right after his mom and brother, as if saying, “Sorry! Wait for me!”

The next day we drove around Cade’s Cove and spotted another mama bear and two cubs, this time in the woods. She was showing her children how to roll over a massive downed tree to look for food, her strong arms moving the log this way and that as branches and leaves shook with might. Her cubs watched, following along when it was their turn to pitch in.

It reminded me about the people in my own life who I have watched and followed on the Christian journey. I’ve seen them, a bit farther along in their faith, sometimes significantly more, modeling for me how it is to live the Christian life. They’ve shown me how to respond with grace and mercy, how to lead with wisdom, how to have joy even in suffering, how to weather storms with hope. I’ve watched as they’ve stood apart from the crowd, content to walk with Jesus Christ rather than the ways of the world. Even if I didn’t know it at the time, they modeled for me what I’m supposed to do too. Now in turn, I model that for others. Now, it’s my turn to be that “mama bear.”

It’s hard sometimes when we’re walking in the world not to cave to temptation or behave like others around us. It’s hard sometimes not to lean into our own selfish fleshly desires. For me, it’s become a far more natural way of living over time, both out of force of habit and because I’ve trained my mind to do what the Apostle Paul advised—to keep my sights on heavenly things (Colossians 3:2), to remember always that I am a citizen of heaven and not of this world (Philippians 3:20). Yet still, it’s hard sometimes.

That’s because there is a war going on all around us. It’s a war between our sinful world and God’s heavenly kingdom, a war for our souls, a war that evil tries so desperately to win. We know evil will never win, but still … the war persists. For those on God’s team, it requires each of us to do our part in the daily battle.

Sometimes that means looking to godly leaders and mentors in the faith for what to do—and sometimes it means that we must become those godly leaders and mentors ourselves, those older brothers or sisters showing the younger ones how to behave. Consider how the Lord is calling you to be one of those mentors today. Consider their eyes upon you, even if you don’t know they’re watching.

Remember that for someone, you might well be that mama bear in the wild world, teaching her cubs what to do and how to live right. Amen, and thanks be to God.

Let’s Pray: Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of salvation. Help me to remember that just as those helped me to grow in faith, I can be that model for someone else. Help me shine your light and draw others to you in all the ways I live. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection #1: “I Will Follow Christ” by Clay Crosse, Bebe Winans & Bob Carlisle. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “Find Us Faithful” by Steve Green. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio: 

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach. She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism. Her Christian contemporary novel, The Memory Garden, released this spring; book two in the series releases this fall. Learn more about Jessica’s writing ministry and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com. She has a YouTube devotional, and you can also connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and more. She’s also produced a free eBook, A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When You’re Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed.

Devotionals for the Heart: When you need direction and wisdom from God

Are You on the Right Path?
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”—Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

Have you ever gotten lost in the woods? I mean taken a wrong turn while hiking or wandering, then immediately realized you were in trouble.

That happened to my family recently when we were in the mountains for a few days celebrating my stepdaughter’s graduation. We were hiking near a beautiful waterfall and had already seen the big picture view, and now we were making our way toward the base. The written guide warned us the trail would be uneven and steep in some areas, but we weren’t too worried—we’d hiked those kinds of trails before.

We turned where they instructed and picked our way down the jagged rocks. It went on and on for what felt like an hour, and finally, we got to this odd-looking rocky section. The trail seemed to go right through the rocks, but it was a little awkward to do this—especially with our German Shepherd. We had to climb onto a boulder, then sort of wiggle our way through this narrow section of rock and jump at the end, and it wasn’t easy. I was a bit shocked it hadn’t been mentioned in the written guide, but we continued on, painstakingly making our way through the rocks and out the other side.

“This had better be an amazing waterfall,” my son joked.

Then suddenly we came to a dead end. To our left, through the trees, we could glimpse the base of the waterfall, hear children laughing and grownups talking. But ahead of us was just brush and bramble, a thorny mess we certainly weren’t intended to traverse.

“Somehow we’ve gotten off the trail,” I told my family.

What else could we do but turn around and try to make our way back up? But when we got to the rocky section where we’d had to jump, I was stuck—I couldn’t make it up on my own, not without a hand to pull me up or a hefty push from behind. I decided to go around, keeping my eyes on the rocks to make sure I didn’t go too far astray; it was much easier that way. Finally, I got to the top again.

That’s when my stepdaughter pointed. “Look—see that green diamond? That’s the trail we’re supposed to be on.”

She was right. Having found the right path, we made it the rest of the way to the base of the waterfall, hot and sweaty but exhilarated.

Now consider all of this from a spiritual perspective. What do we do when we’re walking what we think is the right path, only gets harder and harder, and finally it gets insanely hard, and we realize we’ve hit a dead end?

Maybe we push ahead stubbornly, muscling our way through that wrong path, determined to make it the right one. Or maybe we turn back around and look for the way back, the right path, the true trail. Our loving God has a path for each of us, only the directions are not always so clear. We walk on that path, trying our best to live right by him. Sometimes we get off the path and encounter obstacles—and sometimes stray so far off the path we wind up in a big mess. All those obstacles we encounter are designed to get us back on His path for us.

We can muscle our way through the brambles all we want, but if we’re not on the right path, if we’re not on God’s righteous path for our lives, it’s not going to lead to the waterfall at the end. What’s necessary is making our way back to the path, learning how to recognize it, looking for those signs.

None of us can ever live in full righteousness this side of Heaven. But we can do our best to walk in alignment with the Lord, to allow the Holy Spirit to operate fully within us. Scripture tells us the Holy Spirit enables us to live a life that reflects the character of the Lord, and we can see this through evidence—fruit—that the Spirit is alive and working in our hearts. Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) tells us “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” And Jesus Christ, in Matthew 7:16-20, shares how just as every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit, we can recognize those who are living in alignment with the Lord. As He instructs, “By their fruit you will recognize them” (Matthew 7:20).

Look around you. Do you see trail signs letting you know you’re on the right path, or brambles and thorns blocking your way, letting you know it’s time to turn around? Pray on this, then realign your steps and bask in God’s beautiful waterfall.

Let’s Pray: Lord, thank You for loving me enough to provide the true path of righteousness. Help my heart and my feet stay fully aligned to your will and your way, now and always, and if I get off-track, please steer me back to you. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “Waterfall” by Chris Tomlin. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach. She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism. 

Her Christian contemporary novel, The Memory Garden, released this Spring 2025. Book two in the series releases this Fall 2025. Learn more about Jessica’s writing ministry and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com. She has a YouTube devotional, and you can also connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and more. She’s also produced a free eBook, A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When You’re Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed.