Week 1 | Day 1 | Open My Eyes

Command:

Enter through the narrow gate. Matthew 7:13 (NIV)

Read:

Blessed is the one
    who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither--
    whatever they do prospers.
Not so the wicked!
    They are like chaff
    that the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
    but the ways of the wicked leads to destruction.
Psalm 1 NIV

Reflect:

I’ve been thinking a lot recently on how I can distinguish myself as a follower of Jesus in whatever places God situated me. I’ve been wondering what it looks like to “be in this world, but not of it,” as the saying goes. 

I asked God to open my eyes and heart to how he is moving, and he did. As a mom of two young girls, I don’t usually have the pleasure of waking early and having quiet time to meditate on God’s word, but I’ve come to find that it’s in all the “ordinary” moments throughout the day that I get to invite God into the space I’m in and ask that he’d fill me up, open my eyes and my heart. It’s in these moments I feel like a tree planted by a river. When I’m struggling with anxiety, the calm place I imagine in my mind is just that - a forest, a babbling brook, me beneath the shade of a giant oak tree or a weeping willow - a place where I’m surrounded by the peace of God and also filled up by his love. 

Sometimes I wonder if distinguishing myself as a follower of Jesus is as simple as that - finding the place where I’m surrounded by his peace and filled with his love so that the river can overflow to those around me. Not preaching, not condemning, not proving a point - but overflowing with something supernatural and altogether different.

React:

What are some practical ways can you meditate on God’s word throughout the day?

Pray:

Lord fill us up with your presence and open our eyes to how you’re moving around us. Let us be a part of what you’re doing!