Listen

A shoot will grow up from the stump of Jesse; a branch will sprout from his roots. The Lord’s spirit will rest upon him, a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of planning and strength, a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord. He will delight in fearing the Lord. He won’t judge by appearances, nor decide by hearsay.

Isaiah 11:1-3

Think

This time of the year can be a big bag of mixed thoughts and feelings with the long lists of “to-dos” coupled with anticipation of what comes next. The semester is coming to a close, and that probably means tests or exams are on the horizon, or perhaps there’s a big project due at work. And on top of all of that, there is the holiday frenzy of decorating, purchasing, cooking, and visiting. It can be exhausting just thinking about it!

But what if we did it differently? How would it feel to just allow the spirit of the Lord to rest upon us? Sitting still, taking a breath and being present is one way to allow God’s spirit to be known to us; to guide us, to comfort us, to lift us up. It’s hard, being still. There’s so much to do… but if we can, a peace that passes all understanding will settle on us and then that list doesn’t seem like such a big deal at all.

Duana Cisney

Pray

Gracious and loving God, thank you for your strength, wisdom, and understanding. Please send your loving spirit to be with me today and every day as I seek to be present in this world with peace and understanding. Amen.

Go

Go into the world in Peace, to love and serve the Lord.

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