š§ Today's devotional ā listen while you start your day
I know itās a lot out there right now, but Iām glad youāre here. Sometimes, the quiet hum of the world, or maybe itās just the steady click of a vintage typewriter in a coffee shop, feels like the only anchor you have. Especially today, when thereās so much emotion swirling, whether it's gratitude for a mom who shaped you or a quiet ache for one who's gone. It can feel like we're always staring at a puzzle with only the edge pieces done, right? Trying to piece together a life that feels whole, but the center is stillā¦ blank. You know, you can feel that pull to fill it yourself.
The Briefing
And that's where the text flips the script, cutting through the noise with a truth Jonah learned in the belly of a fish: Salvation is of the Lord. What heās saying is, every good thing you hope for, every moment you feel truly alive, every single rescue from yourself or from the world, it all comes from The Lord. Think about that. We often imagine salvation as just a starting point, right? A moment we say 'yes.' But Jonah, deep in the abyss, understood itās an ongoing reality. Itās not just God pulling you out of the quicksand; itās Him making you prayerful, giving you grace, strengthening your arm against the pull of the world. He doesn't just put you on the trail; He sets your pace, smooths the unexpected terrain, and helps you navigate every elevation change. Here's the thing: anything good you do, any bit of strength you find to keep going, that's not you somehow muscling through. Thatās His hand upholding you. Itās His life flowing through you. This isnāt background music. This is the truth that anchors everything: you do nothing towards your own preservation, except what God Himself first does in you. only The Lord.
Here is the challenge for today: Pause, look at the people around you, and specifically ask The Lord, 'Who in my path today needs to feel Your sustaining hand?' Then, send a simple, unprompted text or make a brief call to that person, offering no advice, just a genuine, 'Thinking of you. Hope you're finding strength for the elevation of today.'
4 comments
Reading āJonahās Anchorā just now, the idea of finding your ātrue northā really landed. Itās so easy to get pulled off course by client pitches or navigating the school drop-off rush. That devotional makes it clear: the real impact comes from intentionally pausing. Even before diving into a full day of marketing strategy, taking a second to recalibrate is the relevant next step. Itās about staying anchored, not just reacting.
āJonahās Anchorā highlights a fundamental system requirement: a stable reference point. My āTrue Northā in this devotional acts as that constant, a fixed coordinate within Godās architecture. Jonahās initial āDeploymentā failure occurred because he disregarded the primary directive, resulting in a critical system malfunction.
The concept of maintaining my āTrue Northā amidst daily distractions is a key āOptimizationā strategy. Between school drop-offs, managing project deadlines, and debugging unexpected issues, itās easy for my internal compass to drift. If my core direction isnāt locked into Godās purpose, every small disruption can skew my entire operational flow.
This isnāt about eliminating challenges. Itās about ensuring the āSource Codeā of my faith remains untainted by external noise. Recognizing that ultimate āTrue Northā helps me quickly re-align, preventing minor deviations from becoming major system vulnerabilities. It ensures I keep processing tasks with the correct parameters, even when the environment is chaotic.
Now then, that devotional on Jonah was grand, wasnāt it? All that talk about finding your āTrue Northā when everythingās pulling you every which way. Makes you think, doesnāt it? Sometimes I get so caught up with all the goings-on at the parish or trying to sort out one of the grandkidsā shenanigans, I forget to justā¦ anchor myself. But remembering that Godās there, a steady point, even when Iām feeling a bit like Jonah in the belly of the whale ā thatās brilliant. Just a momentās breath, and there He is.
God bless, Mary.
āJonahās Anchor.ā Yes, this spoke to my spirit, Honey. So easy to get caught up, isnāt it? All these committee meetings, the school boardās latest plans, folks needing a word of advice. It can make you lose your way sometimes. But that idea of finding your ātrue northāā¦ thatās it. Itās Godās purpose, steady as a rock, when everything else is churning. Reminds me to just breathe, remember whoās truly in charge. The Lord is my shepherd. Wonāt He do it!