2022 Sunday Morning Prayers

Merry Christmas! I’m praying for you today as it may be a crazy one with Christmas on a Sunday!

Joyful, joyful we adore you, God of glory, Lord of love! As you sing those familiar Christmas songs, may your heart be struck with awe of what Jesus did when he entered this broken world to save it. To save you. Thank you, Jesus.

My souls glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. Mary’s Song, Luke 1:46-48

I’m praying for you this morning to consider the great things God has done for you.

It’s so easy to focus on all the things that God hasn’t done, when he hasn’t come through like you hoped he would, or when suffering enters your life…especially in this holiday season of sharing our picture perfect family photos and everyone’s life looks better than your own.

I feel it too. I can quickly forget the history of God’s faithfulness in my life then distrust his current motives and movement. When I forget, I tend to stress out, become uber controlling, and snarky.
Let’s remember together: What has God has done for you in the last year?
Let’s remember together and abide with him in this crazy holiday season.
*This is a fun activity to do with your family (like a “2022 Top 10” list) and keep from year to year.

But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. 1 Samuel 12:24 NIV

Today, I pray that you relax in the arms of our Father. He knows you better than you know yourself and loves you in all that mess!

• You don’t have to pretty up for him. 
• You don’t have to straighten up with an over-righteous-Christianity in order to take your place as his child. 
• You don’t have to worry or stress that you aren’t measuring up. You are enough because He is for you. 

What would it feel like to plop on your couch or bed and do nothing for 10 minutes?
Could you do it? Would you feel guilty? Would your shoulders be able to relax? Would your mind be able to stop?

Take a minute today. Try it. Meditate on these truths: “He loves me. He loves me. I can’t earn it. I don’t deserve it. But, he loves me with no strings attached. I’m a mess and he knows it. He is working and doing great things.”

I know for so many of you it will be a challenge with all the little people who need and want you or activities and busyness that surround this holiday season. Others of you may feel like you have way too many empty hours to spare. Wherever you land… relax into the gracious love of our Father and breathe.

For the Lord is a God who knows. 1 Samuel 2:3b NIV
Now then, stand still and see this great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes. 1 Samuel 12:16 NIV

I’m praying for you today as you may feel overwhelmed with the press of the holiday season: the parties, programs, presents, menu planning, budget, wishlists, family, schedules, no school, present wrapping, stockings, advent calendar, Christmas lights…it’s a lot.

It’s easy to get distracted from the HOPE and PEACE that Jesus offers. It’s easy to work harder, work smarter, work faster just to get it all done. But, it leaves us exhausted, cranky, and stressed out while, at the same time, we are singing hope-filled Christmas carols and teaching our children about the Prince of Peace.

Where’s the disconnect? Christmas can be complicated. Or… what if it’s simple? What if everything boils down to this ONE THING:

• Are you engaging with Jesus in a personal way day by day by day?
• Are you sitting at his feet before the crazy of your day starts listening to the truth of his word?
• Are you prioritizing him over your to-do list?

I get it. It’s a battle to stay focused on the reason for this season. But my friend, it is the only thing that matters and you desperately need it.

Mary sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to Jesus and asked, Lord don’t you even care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself. Tell her to help me! Martha, Martha, the Lord answered, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed- or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better. Luke 10:39-42, NIV

So today, resist the urge to write your to-do list on the side of your sermon notes. Sit at Jesus’ feet and listen to what he is saying to you today. Prioritize time one-on-one with the Lord this week. Get up early. Read his word. Journal your prayers. Confess. Ask. Worship. Surrender.

As we do, our hearts will be full of the joy brought to us by a little baby born in a barn under the glow of a lofty star.

Today, I pray that you will be open-handed in whatever season of life you are in.

The ministry life just doesn’t pause when you are raising your kids.
It doesn’t slow down when you are battling an illness.
It isn’t able to be put on hold while you are taking care of your aging parents or grandkids.

Life just keeps on rolling regardless of what season we are in.

Life is an ebb and flow of busyness and emergencies and needs and demands. Be intentional about flexing with the season. Prioritize what is the most important thing, and let go of having to do everything else. It doesn’t have to be a forever thing. It just may not be for you right now.

I’m praying for you today to open up those clenched fists and release the unrealistic standard you hold yourself to as you strive to do it all.

Let’s live with open hands and daily ask God to show us what to hold on to and what to let go of.

I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done. I spread out my hands to you; Psalm 143:5-6 NIV

I’m praying for you today as you may wrestle with telling someone “no.”

As a ministry wife, we get a lot of requests to do a variety of things: serve, teach, listen, advise, solve problems, have lunch, host things, take information to our husbands.

It’s easy to feel like we have to say YES to everything because somewhere deep inside we think that is the kind and Christian thing to do. But, that is not true. You have full freedom and permission to tell your church people “no” without feeling guilty.

When someone asks me to do something, here are a few of my go-to “no” responses:

• Ah…thank you so much for asking me. I’ll look at our family calendar and see if that is doable for us in all the craziness. Can I text you tomorrow and let you know? [Then the next day, you can text] I appreciate you asking me to ____. But after looking at our calendar, it’s not going to work for me/us right now. Thank you. 

• I really appreciate you thinking of me. I so wish I could, but I already know that I have a conflict that night.

[And listen, EVEN IF you don’t have a conflict in that exact timeframe, you still can say “no.” You need space to build margin and downtime into your hectic ministry life.]

• It means so much that would you ask me to help. But our family schedule is packed this semester, and it’s best for me to not add one more thing right now. Gosh, I know you get it and understand. 
• I hear what you are saying, and I can tell that you are concerned about this issue. If you would call the office and schedule an appointment with my husband, I’m sure he would love to talk with you. I just don’t know all the things but he does and can help you better than I can.

Then, walk away and leave it there.
You don’t need to feel responsible for their response or manage their opinion of you.
You just can’t do it all.
God is bigger than you are and will orchestrate the people he needs to accomplish his work.

All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ anything beyond this comes from the evil one. Matthew 5:37 NIV

I’m praying for you this morning as you wake up, get yourself ready, try to figure out how to dress yourself and the kids warmly with what coats still fit from last year. I’m praying for you as you think about lunch plans, laundry, and ministry. There’s a lot to be distracted by. And, it’s easy to live life with an evaluative outlook, judging everything we do as good or bad. It’s sounds like:

Oops, I didn’t do that well. I should have done that better. Why didn’t I go to that or help with that? I should be stronger than this. I should be more motivated. I should love Jesus more. Am I a fraud?

Sometimes, I can’t cut off this narrative. I critique myself to no end and hold myself to an impossible standard. Then, I heap loads of shame and condemnation on top of my already struggling heart.

Where are you today?

When we find ourselves is this self-critical space, there’s a deeper issue at play. And, we need to invite God in and go there by asking ourselves a few questions:

• Why do I feel like I need to prove my worth?
• In what ways am I living in disappointment about my lack of discipline and trying to make up for it? 
• How do I see my need to be perfect play into my drive to be a worthy ministry wife and serve God and my church?
• In what ways am I relying on myself to be a good Christian?
• How does pride play a part of my stress? 

Listen, these struggles are ok. You are human and broken and need Jesus just like everyone else. Your position, your husband’s position, and your giftedness don’t spare you from messing up or missing the mark. So…
You can stop hiding your not-enoughness because the truth is you aren’t on your own
You can stop using your actions as proof for your value because that is not where your worth is found.
You can stop your quest for perfection because you will never get there.
You can stop trying to fix everyone’s problems because you just don’t have the capacity to do so.

God’s grace tells us the truth that dissipates these self-evaluating thought process. God’s grace already knows that you aren’t good enough. God’s grace already knows that you can’t work your way into his favor to be on the “Top 10 Ministry Wives” list (ha, he doesn’t even have one).

Because of Jesus, you are showered with an insane amount of grace that you don’t deserve and that you can’t earn. He gives his love and favor freely with no strings attached.

He has created you with a special gifting and will empower you to live in that place. You can’t be everything, and he doesn’t expect or need you to be. Begin releasing that expectation on yourself and humbly come before you Father daily with an open, responsive heart.

You don’t need to do this on your own. And honestly, you just can’t.

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. 2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV

I pray that you will fix your eyes on Jesus this morning.

I can complicate my faith. I create systems and plans and lists and duties and rules and shoulds and should nots. I don’t know why. Maybe it makes me feel somewhat in control.

But following Jesus is simple: love him. Jesus replied: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. Matthew 22:37

When we love him with it all, we in turn will:
obey him
abide with him
talk with him
read his word
desire what he desires
trust him
wait on him
have hope in him
are strong and can endure
are wise.

You may feel the pressure of your role in ministry. You may feel confined by all the things you think you should be. You may be frustrated with how you just can’t get it right. You may be overwhelmed with the list of things you need to do.

Listen my sister, simply love Jesus. Seek him. Fix your eyes on him. Get to know him more and more and more. The more you know him the more you will love him. The more you love him the closer you are to him. The closer you are to him the more you become like him as he works within you.

And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. Hebrews 12:1-2

I pray that you will be open-handed to the ministry opportunities that God brings your way today.

It’s easy to organize and plan for ministry to happen. Goodness, there are days that we just need to! But some of the sweetest conversations over the years have come without any management from me.

So as you walk into your church this morning with:

all the things that need to get done,

all the people to be prayed for,

and all the hearts to be encouraged,

lay your day at his feet.

Ask Him to show you those conversations to linger in. Don’t hold so tightly to your agenda that you miss a God-opportunity today.

And when they come, breathe in a prayer: God, come close. Give me strength and compassion.

Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Colossians 4:5

I’m praying for your acceptance of and appreciation for your God giftedness.

It’s easy to want what we don’t have and not want what we do have. I can reside in the land of discontentment and shame when it comes to my identity and giftedness in ministry:

I wish I could sing and worship like her.

I wish I could teach like she does.

I should be doing more.

I wish I wasn’t so loud.

I wish I wasn’t so quiet.

I’m not doing enough.

What am I supposed to be doing anyway?

God created you to be all that you are. As you seek him first, you become who he has purposed you to be. Rest in that.

Let’s lift off the lens of comparison and trust that God knows what he is doing as he “created my inmost being and knit me together in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 139:13).

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33

I’m praying for you today as you may be struggling with control. I sure do.

Wow, the fall comes in with a fury. Are you trying to catch your breath like I am? I feel like things just keep coming at me, and it stresses me out! When I get stressed, my first response is to OVER-CONTROL with things like:

• googling for hours to gather more information about whatever I’m worrying about: health, child behavior, inner personal issues, vacation planning, college choices, how to help your child get the highest on their test scores, 
• plan out all the contingent scenarios of what could happen so I can be “prepared” (well, that’s what I tell myself)
• worry, worry, worry
• attempt to manage people and their behaviors 

As ministry wives and moms, there are so many things that we DO need to manage and control: our family schedules, sicknesses, advocate for our children’s schooling, all the things at church, the laundry… But, the lines get blurry really fast for me. And, I over-control even when it comes to my faith, ministry, and relationship with God.

I’m reading Seeing Beautiful Again by Lysa Terkheurst and this statement hit home:

“Control and consistency make me feel like I’m trusting God when in reality I’m just counting on him to the level that he comes through for me.” (page 155)

Over-control promises what it can never deliver: if I do this, then I will get that.

So what do you do with that?

Today, ask God to show you where you are OVER-CONTROLING. Open up your tightly gripped hands as many times as you need to throughout the day and say:

Lord, here. This is yours. I give it to you. I trust you with it not to give me what I expect or want but to do what you will in this situation. I trust that you are working, and you know best.

The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving. Psalm 28:7, NLT

I’m praying for you today, sweet ministry wife. As you walk into your church with all your emotions coming in with you, please don’t stuff them down to grin and bear it. Instead, use your emotions as a vehicle to take you to the feet of Jesus.

As songs are sung and the bible is preached, take a moment and think about how you feel: happy, sad, excited, disappointed, exhausted, hopeful, hopeless, embarrassed, irritated, confident.

Put your finger on one.

Say, God I feel…then count to 10, letting yourself fully feel it. Then, claim a truth about God that addresses that emotion. “God, you are…”

God, I feel embarrassed. (1, 2, 3, 4…) God, you are strength in my weakness. (2 Cor 12:9).

Today, I pray that you will be reminded of how the gospel is GOOD NEWS to you.

So much of the ministry life is focused on all the PEOPLE in our church and community that we are called to love and serve. There are so many people who need to know the good news of Jesus and how he saves and restores broken parts. That is our mission.

But we can often become so focused on others that we forget the personal impact of how Jesus is good news to us: to me and you. We can loose sight of our personal gospel story.

So this morning, as you are heading off to church where songs will be sung, prayers will be prayed, and God’s truth will be preached about the gospel, I pray that you will be deeply reminded of how the good news of Jesus intersected with your desperate need for him. That you will be able to pray:

Jesus, thank you for being good news to me back then. Help me to believe that you are the equally powerful good news to me today in this thing that I’m struggling with. I want to be empowered by you in personal ways before I share you with others. Create in me a fresh heart of thankfulness and mission.

What is your personal gospel story?

Now, brothers and sisters, I want you to remember the Good News I told you. You received that Good News message, and you continue to base your life on it. That Good News, the message you heard from me, is God’s way to save you. But you must continue believing it. If you don’t, you believed for nothing. 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 ERV

I’m praying for you today as you worship with your church people. 

Church people can be so sweet. But sometimes in masses, they are a lot to handle. Just too much. Too many questions. Too much interest. Too much advice. Too many words. Too many needs. Too many opinions. Too much. 

In all that too-muchness, realize that you don’t have to fix it all, answer it all, receive it all, or respond to it all. It’s not doable or healthy. 

Deal with what only you need to deal with. Don’t own someone else’s worry. Don’t take someone’s very vocal opinion as your mission if it doesn’t need to be. 

Stop obsessing about all the conversations you’ve had. Move in the strength of the Lord and let it be. Trust him to give you words to say and the spirit in which to say them. 

And… if Ms. “Too Much” comes at you this morning all hot and heavy, smile. Listen and say, “Wow. That’s interesting.” 

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had. Romans 15:5 

I’m praying for you today and for the friendships, you have or don’t have.  

Ministry can create an isolating bubble around friendships: 

• You may feel like you can’t be yourself. 
• You may distrust someone’s motives. 
• You may be unable to move beyond your role as a ministry wife to reveal the broken, imperfect person that you really are.  
• You may not have the energy or time to invest in growing a relationship.  

Even though friendships can be hard for all these reasons, they are so WORTH THE EFFORT and risk. 

Ask God for a friend.
Be open. Be wise. Be honest.
Be ok with the relational ebb and flow that comes in each season.
Put yourself in situations where friendships can grow. 

I’m praying for you and that out-of-control feeling you have when it comes to your children…especially as you trapse through your church doors this morning. 

This mom gig is no joke. For all the hopes I had at managing a great life for my kids and crafting their experiences, I’ve discovered the heartache that comes from this broken world and the reality to where my control abruptly ends. It makes me desperate for Jesus to work in ways where I can’t reach. 

So if you are exhausted or questioning or worried or frustrated in your parenting this morning, breathe and reach for Jesus. He is working in ways that you can’t see and loves your kids more than you do. 

for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Philippians 2:13 

And for you sweet friend who is struggling with infertility or loss and this post pierces your heart, I’m so sorry. There are no words. I wish I could hug your neck and hear your heart over coffee. God loves you. He sees you. He is working in ways that you can’t see. 

Today, I’m praying for your marriage and relationship with that man up on stage or the one bustling around the church.  

He may be exhausted and weighed down.
You may feel isolated and unable to share with him your burdens because you don’t want to add one more to his.
You may feel like the third wheel to his calling and might even resent it.  

I get it. It can be difficult to feel all these things in the privacy of your heart and still smile on Sunday.  

I encourage you to pour it ALL OUT to Jesus in prayer: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Ask God to show you when and how to share with your husband what you feel. Seek wise, trusted counsel to gain some context and framework. Be in the word to gain a rootedness in truth. 

Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Psalm 62:8 NIV 

I’m praying for you today. 

I’m praying for you today as you may not have any words (or too many).
As you relate to others and wonder what you will say.
As your struggle with your own faith but know there will be an expectation for you to say something right, true, and encouraging.
Or maybe you always have lots of words and sometimes over-compensate by saying too much chitter-chatter. Me, too.  

Breathe. Release the standard you have for yourself to always say the right thing. That just won’t happen 100% of the time.
Lean into Jesus.
Confess your wordlessness or wordy-ness.
Admit that you are struggling.
Ask him to fill you with his words and obey his movement.
Open your heart to see what he will do regardless of whether you feel like it or not.
Ask him to fill you with his words.
And open your heart to see what he will do regardless of whether you feel like it or not.

But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” Exodus 4:10-12

God gets you. He “will be with your mouth.” I just love that. 

I’m praying for you and any relational weariness you may have: 

– Tired of the same fight over and over in your marriage 
– Weary from a friend who is a taker and you just can’t say “no”
– Exhausted from all the work it takes to grow a human child 
– Overwhelmed with all the needs in your church and you wonder if you are making a difference 

I know you may be tired, friend. I see you working so hard to keep it all spinning. Just make sure to: 

Get some sleep.
Eat healthy food.
Exercise and drink water.
Ask God if you are weary because you are doing it in your own.
People can be exhausting. We aren’t meant to love them on our own.  

Today, I pray that you will have eyes to see people in your church as God sees them and love them as he does. 

It’s difficult to love broken people. Some are easier than others. Some may feel downright impossible to love. Today instead of avoiding someone in the hallway or hoping you don’t see this person in the parking lot, I’m praying for you in all these messy, complicated relationships.
Invite God into loving others by asking him for eyes to see them as he sees them.   

Before you step out of your car, lift up this prayer:
God, help me today. Open my eyes to see people as you see them. And from that move me to love them like you do. Give me patience, humility, perspective, and wisdom. Fill me with your abundant love and may it overflow onto everyone that crosses my path. 

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9:36 

I’m praying for you today and your lonely heart. 

Some of my sweetest friendships were rooted in our church. Girlfriends who loved me through losses and disappointments and fears. Those who made me meals when my dad died, cleaned my bathrooms when I had surgery, and prayed me through a type 1 diagnosis of our oldest son. They saw me and loved me for me. 

But, it took me a long time to open up to them. There were many years of loneliness and isolation – wondering if anyone would see me at church for more than just my husband’s position or to leverage me for information. It stinks to feel used or dispensable. 

I don’t know where you land today:
Maybe you have a loving church family.
Maybe you have a 1 or 2 or 5 amazing girlfriends who love and support you.
Or maybe you feel lonely. You may know a ton of people who would call you “best friend,” but it’s really a one-sided relationship, and they really don’t know you.
Or maybe you are scared to open up and let them know your fears and missteps because what would they say if they knew the “pastor’s wife” had those struggles. So, you are caught in this role of perfection and isolation, never really being yourself- only playing a part. 

Believe me, I get it. I’ve struggled with all these things. Make the tininest movement forward today. Ask God for a “heart friend.” Put yourself out there (maybe outside your church in your community) to connect with others. Ask God to show and heal you from the unhealthy parts of yourself. 

God gave us each other to love each other and that doesn’t exclude a ministry wife. I’m praying for your lonely heart today. 

I’m praying for the relationships with your kids today. 
Being a parent is such a privilege. It is a true gift from God to love and care for a little person. 

But… your kids can drop you to your knees faster than anything. Each season brings with it another layer of relationship and surrender. It doesn’t take long until you realize you don’t have as much control as you thought you did.
Boy, we need Jesus.
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19, NIV 

So today as you sit in church maybe heavy-hearted about your relationship with your kids or rehashing how you are failing them as a parent, remember:
God loves them more than you do.
Their behavior doesn’t necessarily reflect your ability as a parent. 
God is working when you can’t see it. 

Keep leaning into him for strength, wisdom, and love. 

Today, I’m praying over your marriage. May God protect it and bless it. May he ignite a sweet spark of intimacy between you and your husband this week. 

Any marriage is complicated. We carry in with us our upbringing, our past, our preferences, and personalities. But when you add the layer of ministry, church leadership, expectations, judgements, etc, the challenges can catapult marriage into a different stratosphere. 

So, I’m praying for you today as you watch your husband lead and for any bitterness or distance or frustration you may feel. See it for what it is and talk to God about it. Talk to your husband. Seek counsel. You don’t have to stay stuck. 

God sees you in your marriage and loves you where you are. 

*I love who Hagar knew God to be in the midst of her messy marriage with Abraham.
She [Hagar] gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” Genesis 16:13, NIV 

On this hot and dry summer Sunday morning, I’m praying that pride won’t get in your way from loving people. 
Pride, I know. We surely don’t struggle with that? 

I’ve recently been reminided of pride in my heart. It’s deep and twisted. It can reveal itself in a variety of ways: 

• when I get cranky with others when they don’t respect my time by being late to something or not being aware that they talk way too long on the phone or in the hallway 
• when I get hurt that someone didn’t encourage me instead they complain about all the ways my husband isn’t doing things that they think should be done 
• when I seethe on the inside when someone completely ignores me in the hallway or the grocery store after I have been so nice to them 

and oh so many more… 

If you have felt these things, ask God if the root of your response is pride. Ask him to show you the ways that you choose yourself over him. Ask him to show you when you place your confidence in yourself instead of him. I’m all about boundaries and owning what only you need to own. But so many times, pride trips me up and blocks me from loving people from this healthy place. 

I pray that you will go first to Jesus and live confidently in the overflow of his love. 
We can’t control how others treat us. But, we can manage how we take their treatment to heart. 

But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. Jeremiah 17:17 

I’m praying for you this morning that you put down the expectation you have for yourself to fix other people’s problems.  

Sure, I know. Many people come to you with their problems. They share about their broken marriages or parenting issues or friendship struggles or tricky family dynamics or their doubt in God or their secret sins. I know it’s a lot to bear. But, you are not meant to bear the responsibility of fixing them. You can’t fix it. Point them to the one who is the answer. Point them to Jesus.  

“When John saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” John 1:36 NIV
And my friend, rest on everything he is for you. You are more to God than a fix-it agent. You are his child, and he loves you for you. 

I pray for you today, friend. I pray that you will live in the freedom that you have been given through Jesus.

On this weekend where we blast fireworks and waves flags to celebrate the declaration of our country’s freedom, may your heart settle in the freedom that Jesus died for you to have.

You are FREE from the bondage of your sin, your pride, insecurity, your past, shame, and bitterness. They have no right to control or condemn you.

Can we step into the hope of that today?
Can we begin to see that we carry way more than what we need to?
Can we breathe in the freedom from have-tos, should-dos, and wish-I-dids?

Friend, invite God into the mess. Live as a free child of God that you are.

Live as free people… 1 Peter 2:16 NIV

Today (for all us people pleasers), I pray that if you teeter on the edge of people-pleasing that God will nudge you to focus on him.

I like to make people happy. I like to make people feel loved and seen and known. And, I also like people to like me. I’m motivated in part from a genuine love for people. Other parts are motivated out of a need to have people like me. It’s kind of messy.

So today as you love on people in your church:

I pray that the Lord will give you eyes to see others as he sees them.
I pray that he will infuse you with strength to have just one more conversation.
I pray that you will remain motivated to “the why” behind what you do.
I pray that you will seek to please Jesus first.

Am I saying this now to win the approval of people or God? Am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be Christ’s servant. Galatians 1:10

I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. John 8:50

I pray that you will let go of comparison today. I do it without even knowing it.

When I see someone doing something amazing like singing or leading or speaking or teaching or loving on babies or looking so fun or creating beautiful things or having a great style or great hair, one of my first reactions isn’t to celebrate how God has gifted them or celebrate who they are. Sadly, I swing into insecurity and make it about me:
Well, I can’t do that.
I don’t look like that.
She’s way better than me.

Comparison. ugh. I wonder if I’m the only one who goes there.

What if we would live in our gospel identity and our first thought would not be comparing but celebrating who she is?
What if we wouldn’t use someone’s giftedness as a judgment of our uniqueness?
What if we would grow healthy and value how God has gifted us regardless of how he has gifted anyone else?
What if we didn’t compare the perfect pictures on Facebook and Instagram to our messy realities which only breeds discontent?
What if we didn’t compare?

God has created and gifted each one of us uniquely. He has our story written. We need to lean into him, obey him, listen to him, and spend time with him so that he can grow and guide us into exactly the beautiful and gifted person he created us to be.

There is such contentment found here.

Let’s let go of comparison today.

Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, for each one should carry their own load. Galatians 6:4-5 NIV

• Sit in the truth that God works wonders and will overcome.
• Fix your eyes on him and not on the complexities of relationships within your church.
• Be infused with his constant love for you as his child instead of your position in ministry. He loves you regardless of what you do for him.

• Why did she ignore me in the hallway? I guess I’m expendable to her. 
• What was that face? I must have made her mad (or my minister-husband did). 
• She’s more put together than I am. How can her hair always look so good?
• I wish I could be more outgoing like her. I feel so mousy. She seems to be so admired. 
• I wish I was softer and more gracious. I’m so loud and I don’t know if others know how to handle me.

• Ask him to help you see people as he sees them and to love them as he loves. 
• Ask him to help you serve others for “the glory of his name.” Not for your name or your husband’s reputation but for his name and glory. 

Praying for you today, sweet ministry wife, as you wake up and get yourself ready for church. As you smile and love and stand with your man. As you listen and serve and bite your tongue and lean into Jesus. May you feel refreshed by God’s truth.