See Me First
A devotional by Colleen C. Howard
“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”—Matthew 6:33 (ESV)
My husband and I became parents in the 1980s.
This decade was filled with change—disposable cameras, camcorders, and the CD player are just a few. Video stores were becoming popular, and for the first time, you could rent a movie, take it home, and watch it at your convenience. It boggles the mind, but at the time, this was revolutionary.
During the 1990s, video stores began to dominate. They not only offered thousands of movie selections, but you could also purchase snacks, rent video games, and more. When our children were eleven and thirteen, we decided they were old enough to be left alone for the evening. We had a wedding rehearsal to attend and would be gone until about 9:00 p.m. They had dinner, a rental movie, and a smorgasbord of snacks. They were armed with phone numbers to call if they needed us. We prayed for safety and wise decisions and headed for the church. We were gone for about three hours.
On the drive home, we realized we hadn’t heard from the children and assumed all was well—until we pulled into the garage.
A note from our firstborn was strategically placed on the garage door leading into the house. These four words struck fear in this mama’s heart. It read, “See me first, Melissa.” We opened the door, and everything seemed calm. The house was quiet. Nothing was broken or out of place, and then she appeared. Melissa marched down the hall on a mission and headed straight for us as if a duel was about to occur.
The story tumbled out, but her words were clear. The movie we rented was in a hard plastic case, and her brother had difficulty getting it out. Determined to free the video from captivity, he slammed it on the kitchen table, creating a two-inch gash in the wood.
Melissa wanted the facts to be clearly stated—this was not her fault. Nick apologized, and it was clearly an accident. Much to Melissa’s chagrin, we weren’t too broken up about the table. It was old, and we disguised the gash with olive oil and wood stain. Melissa’s note represented more than an act of tattling on her brother. It was a call for justice and comfort. She wanted to be cleared of all wrongdoing.
Children look to their parents for love, protection, and justice. They want to know we’re on their side. When we’ve been treated unfairly, our first instinct is to lash out and vindicate ourselves. I don’t know about you, but I’ve experienced several unjust situations. In each, I wanted to take care of matters by myself.
How do we resist the urge to take care of injustice alone? Who will comfort us? God tells us to seek Him first (Matthew 6:33) and reminds us His steadfast love never ceases, and His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23).
We tend to hold a grudge when we seek justice, and our hearts become bitter. I love this quote from author Joyce Myers, “You can be bitter or better, but you can’t be both.” It’s not our job to deliver justice because we’re not the hero of our story. Our responsibility is to take our need for justice to our Savior (Jesus Christ).
God is the hero of our stories! He forgave us, saved us from sin, and is on our side. Perhaps we can take a tip from children like Melissa and give distracting, unjust situations to God. He loves us and is working all things for the good of His children.
Let’s Pray: Thank You, Lord, for being the hero of our stories. Help us to refrain from taking matters of injustice into our own hands, for You alone are in control. You are just and your faithfulness goes before you. Keep us focused on You and help us to seek You first every day of our lives. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.
Song of Reflection #1: “In Christ Alone” by Keith and Kristyn Getty. Listen to it here.
Song of Reflection #2: “First” by Lauren Daigle. Listen to it here.
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Author Bio:
Colleen C. Howard is a Jesus follower, wife, mom, mimi, educator and author.
She lives with her husband in the beautiful Arizona desert where the sunsets are spectacular, the summers are hot, and the winters are a little slice of heaven. Her two adult children and their families live nearby. She considers it a joy to spend time with her family members!
She is a lifelong educator and co-founder of an educational professional development business. After spending her professional life in education, Colleen retired as the STEM Specialist for a large public school district. As she approached the end of that season, God placed a strong desire in Colleen’s heart to shine a light on God’s presence throughout ordinary days and encourage women in their faith-walk with Jesus Christ.
When asked what makes her faith walk real, Colleen replied, “It isn’t just one thing, but a million little things. Although some days bring trials and others bring joy, it’s never just another day.” She says when you give your heart to Jesus, each new day is another opportunity to walk hand-in-hand with Him and begin to know the heart of God. As you become more aware of His presence, stop, take a breath, and watch what God will do.
Colleen holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education from Arizona State University and a Masters in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University.
She has been published online via these websites: Inkspirations, Her View From Home, and Inside Out Worldwide.
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Connect with Colleen:
Website: http://colleenchoward.com
