December 30th Daily Reflection

It is as if today's devotion is a reflection on the previous day. It seems that when I read the devotion, I think that's how yesterday went! As I walk closer with the Lord, I get to see his wonderful work and I can give praise. Yesterday was a beautiful example of his glorious work. I was able to work with some of the best minds in Miami, interact with some of the most inspirational people in town and see the Lord work small miracles throughout the day. At the end of the day, I thanked the Lord for giving me such an incredible opportunity and gift.

How are you experiencing the wonderfulness of the Lord?

December 29th Daily Reflection

Yesterday was a true test of my faith and while I faltered a little, I was able to rise to the occassion! I am excited because while faltering I realized that I didn't loss faith and my actions after faltering was from a position of faith. How did I falter and recover? I got a call that my mom's car won't start and I instantly got upset because I have been asking her since the beginning of the month to take it to the mechanic and if her car dies, we will be carless. Then I calmed down and thought about life carless, what would it mean? It would mean I would have to walk, ride and use public transportation. So would that be a big deal? Not really since all my important activities I can get to either by walking, riding or using public transportation. Then I tried something really cool, what if I had to walk to work? Could I do it? So I walked home from work, stopping to get the oil needed for the car, and was able to do it in 1 hr and 20 mins. So I can get to work on foot - great, I can ride to the Habitat volunteer site - that takes an hr, and all other things of interested are in my neighborhood. So I realized that not having a car would only make me exercise more, what's the big deal? Because I trusted in the Lord, I was able to see the coolness of not having a car.

December 28th Daily Reflection

I read today's devotion with a sense of calm, a calmness that has eluded me for most of my life. It's a calmness because I know that whatever happens to me will be glorious because the Lord made it so. It's a calmness that allows me not to get caught up in the madness of the world but see the opportunities and possibilities when everyone around me are seeing problems. It's a calmness that gives me confidence to try and humbly accept defeat if I don't succeed, it's a calmness that allows me to see things from different perspective, and it's a calmness that allows me to squeeze the Lord's hands despite what is happening around me.

How is being with the Lord creating calmness in your life?

December 27th Daily Reflection

I enjoyed today's devotion because it reminds me of the importance of taking time and not being busy. I spent the day yesterday, reading, reflecting and sleeping - pretty lazy day by most standards and even more lazy given I had stuff I could have done. However, at the end of the day, I was more energized than if I had spent the day getting things done. For the first time, I didn't feel guilty about not doing stuff and then today's devotion talks about being with the Lord, spending time to be quiet and not being too caught up with doing things. And I agree, by not being busy, I am more centered to be a better contributor to the world and deal with the adversaries that are sure to come my way.

Spending time with the Lord, what a spiritually renewing activity!

December 26th Daily Reflection

Today's devotion is awesome! It talks about the gift that continuously gives - bounteously, with no strings attached! Over the years, I have had numerous such gifts and in some cases, I was not as appreciative of those gifts as I should. However, over the past 6 months, I have been diligently focusing on these gifts and this Christmas season, I had so many gifts, I could barely keep up. I realized the wonderful glorious friends who surround me on a daily basis, who are conduit for the Lord's love, and because of the realization, I have been able see the unseen - God's good grace in action all the time. This Christmas season, I give thanks for the gift of friendship, partnership, and the wonderfulness of the Lord.

How are you enjoying your gifts of the season?

December 24th Daily Reflection

For 2 1/2 years, I have worked diligently to get closer to the Lord and not let anything distraction me from my relationship with him. It was a struggle to get to closer to the Lord, life on earth makes is easy to go astray. However, as I struggled, I had a number of incredible people surrounding me, inspiring me and keeping me going. Over the past few weeks, I have noticed that as life has tempted me go go astray, I have been able to ignore those temptations and stick close to the Lord. As problems pour in, they quickly turn to opportunities which allowed me to see/experience the glory of the Lord. I have seen seemingly impossible problems turn into wonderful opportunities - this Christmas, the Lord has provided me with so many wonderful gifts, material gifts are unnecessary. As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, I am preparing my heart and soul to continue receive the wonderful gifts of the Lord.

December 22nd Daily Reflection

I smile as I read today's devotion because it caused me to do some self reflection. I saw an opportunity to be better at the office, presented a new way of operating and was excited to see that some of my recommendations were implemented. The interesting thing is that in the past, I would have gotten caught up in the fact that all my ideas were not implemented. However, since starting my journey of being close to the Lord, without any self coaching, I instantly saw the beauty of the solution and how it is going to help the team grow! I thought wow, how much better life is because I am by default focusing on the beauty of each situation. The final decision was even more powerful than what I could have imaged and is a reminder of the greatness of working in a team, realizing that it's not about me but about the entire team succeeding. I am so excited about this new direction that my mind keeps spinning on all of the really awesome things we can do.