Ever paint the interior of your home? Whether you hired someone or completed the endeavor in your own efforts, it requires the removal of all items from the walls and covering of all items you do not want painted. This process can reveal similar manifestations of Christ’s work in an individual’s life once they have put off their old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of their Creator (Colossians 3:9,10).

Every other day, I begin my mornings with an early run. Nothing accompanies me but my audio bible. As I let the word of God wash over my mind and all my senses, I feel I am moving into clear focus. Foot turn-over after foot turn-over, and the trees become more vibrant, the air becomes lighter, and dreams and passions in my heart become more attainable. Focus.

Paths with dead ends or with too many forks are enemies of my mind. Dead ends meaning, no exit, only choice but to turn around and return from whence you came. Forcing me to revisit certain events I only endured to get to the dead end! Paths with many forks bring about the same pain. More mental hurdles. Did I go the right way? What would have happened if I would of went the other way? Is the road less traveled what I am being called to?

I must be honest I have struggled with David. David from the Old Testament. David, shepherd boy made king of Israel. David, young boy with faith to take down giants. David, the repented adulterer. David, emotionally unstable psalm writer. David, who God called the man after His own heart. Many Christians admire David and even sometimes put him as a role model to emulate. Truly my struggle with David is that he is so human! David was no perfect man, yet he had such a profoundly close relationship with the Lord. David’s life story challenges me to the core of my being. Do I really believe I worship a God of grace and not performance?

Has a line from a movie or a written text ever take you by surprise? You simply cannot accept what you saw or read based on your first interpretation. It seems too good to be true. It is just majestic or even brilliant. Well, I must admit, Jesus, often leaves me surprised.