July 19: IT'S EASIER TO TALK ABOUT THE WEATHER THAN ABOUT THE STORMS IN OUR LIVES.

July 19, 2025

Affirmation: I am blessed, abundant and grateful.

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.”‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭17:7‬ ‭NIV‬‬
Cultivating gratitude and joy is recognized by Dr. Brené Brown as a guidepost to a wholehearted life. Put your trust in God…accept His love and blessing. Then recognize your gratitude and joy. Create a gratitude journal recording 3-5 things for which you are grateful.
~~~~~~This is from my Bible in 1Year Reading today. Day 269Six Keys to Good Relationships
Be transformed into the likeness of Jesus
God calls us to -1. Authenticity2. Passion3. Work and generosity4. Encouragement5. Grace6. Purity
Lord, help me today to live a life of love and to become more like Jesus.

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Ponder: Memorize Psalm 25:4-6. Make this your prayer today. Today make this personal; what are you seeking? What is the Lord showing you, teaching you?

“Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Remember Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from days of old. Psalm 25:4-6

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Reading for Today

Walk in Grace. Live in Love. by Bob Goff

The pace of life and the demands of a day can throw us all. I remember a few of those days when I was a partner at the law firm. I'd come home after a big day in court and plop down in my favorite chair, exhausted. A stay-at-home mom leaves it all on the field and has nothing left. The guy at Arby's is just trying to make rent. If that means slicing roast beef, he'll do it. These can be the hardest moments to stay engaged and connected with the people who are most important in our lives. We just don't have the energy for it. So we keep it shallow.

Needing a little downtime is no crime, but if you string too many of those days together, you create the habit of staying on the surface with everyone. When we stay on the surface, we miss the opportunity to share our fears and insecurities and doubts, and we forfeit the chance to hear the same. We trade the few deep conversations we should be having with the ones closest to us for many shallow conversations with everybody else.

The shallow end isn't always as safe as it looks. We can skate through life without having many vulnerable conversations, and our flaws and fears will remain unexposed. If we're never willing to get real, we'll never really be known, and if we're never known, it's hard to feel truly loved for who we actually are. Try anything you want, but being vulnerable is the only pathway to true connection.

The fix is simple. Identify a handful of people who have gone through hard times and have come out stronger on the other end. Invite those people into a couple of the difficult parts of your life-the ones you don't quite have figured out yet. Sometimes, the only thing worse than going through storms is going through them alone. Invite a few friends to join you.

Who will you invite into your deeper journey?