“The fear of man bringeth a snare; but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.” Prov. 29:25
Today’s Christian daily devotional
It was one of those perfect days where heaven could have waited for eternity to come. I smiled as I stuck my hand out the window, enjoying the crisp morning airflow right through my fingers like invisible water.
It is early, the road is empty and we are watching the sunrise bounce it’s boisterous reflection off the Florida coastline. The salty air fills my lungs as we both sing along loudly to our favorite Aerosmith tune.
I had been through the relationship ringer, and it was good to trust the stable, attractive man beside me. I was falling into a deeper love than I ever imagined my heart was capable of knowing, and for the first time I was not scared—I trusted John with all my heart.
As we watched the road slowly trickle alive with new cars, we asked each other questions; silly ones, serious ones– anything to delve deeper in the knowledge of what made our “better half” tick.
We stopped for gas and French fries and chatted into the lunch hour. A small twenty-four hour diner nestled on the side of the road looked like the ideal spot to have a bite and continue on.
As I stepped out of the car to stretch my aching legs, I dusted and straightened my wrinkled shirt. I felt like a mess, but I consoled myself with the thought that this is precisely what happens when you are road-tripping.
“How do I look?” I needed a nudge of encouragement to enter the restaurant with a bit more confidence. I was having so much fun—my appearance was not on the roster of things to think about; I had not even considered it until this point of the day—and it was noon! (Now THAT is love.)
“You look fine.” John smiled warmly. He grabbed my face for a kiss and we headed toward the restaurant hand in hand.
As soon as we got our seat, I headed to the bathroom for a quick wash. I took a quick glance at my reflection, and I noticed a HUGE ketchup stain that had not been seen because it was obstructed by my ample bust.
I stormed out the bathroom in a quiet rage. “How could you tell me I look fine?” I said angrily grabbing at the paper napkins from the table and soaking them in the water from my glass.
“I didn’t want you to get upset.” He looked confused.
“Well, I am upset now. Were you okay with me walking around all day looking like this?” My efforts to remove the stain only made my white shirt transparent and created a pile of wet napkin residue on my lap.
“So long as you weren’t upset.” The perplexed expression did not lift from his face.
“How can I even trust you? You don’t care about me. You care about you. As long as your happy and you look good. What does it matter what I need?” I gave up on the stain on my shirt and focused my attention on the one sitting in front of me.
“I’m not hungry anymore. Let’s leave.” He huffed as I grabbed my purse. We both got up just as the waitress started to approach our table. It was only noon, but our perfect day was over. No Aerosmith song could undo the damage now.
In the Bible it says the truth will set us free. Although it may not be the most pleasant thing to hear the moment it is spoken; in the long run it is the only thing that will lead us into the blessings of a good life built on a solid foundation of reality. The ugly truth is far more stable than a beautiful lie. This brings us to the irony of Prov. 29:25. When a man fears something, that very fear is what he brings upon himself. We will all have to face our fears, and facing them truthfully is the only way we will have the power to overcome them.
“Dear Heavenly Father,
I come to you with a humbling admission. I crave acceptance and approval so much that sometimes I believe the lies told to me because it gives me what I think I need.
What I really need is the ability to handle the truth, no matter how hard it is to take. I cannot do this without your help, as I have tried many times in the past and have always resorted back to comfortable lies to get me by.
Lord, not anymore. Today is a new day. I want to embrace it with the gusto of a warrior that knows from experience what works, because he/she has seen what has not.
Lord, help me to crave truth like it is the only medicine that can cure the deep wounds inside of me, because it is. In Jesus’ name, I am ready for a real healing on the deepest level. I am ready for your truth, to live it, to breathe it to crave it and to speak it. Amen.”
Thank you for reading today’s daily devotional.
Please check back and see what we have for you tomorrow!
Author: Julia Shalom Jordan