Thrive: Light as a Feather

Stone is heavy and sand a burden, but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both. Proverbs 27:3

For the previous weeks, we’ve looked at being IN the moment of each day, and living for the Lord God. In so doing, we bring praise to His name and not to ourselves.

Today’s verse takes us into dishonorable and undisciplined emotions, which weighs heavily upon us and those who experience our tirades.

In Numbers 20:12, the children of Israel grumbled for water. God instructed Moses to speak to the rock and abundant water would flow out. But Moses was hot with anger at the Israelites, and instead, he lost control and struck the rock. His anger cost him his chance to go into the land flowing with milk and honey.  God said, “Because you did not trust me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”

In Numbers 22, Balaam was on a journey with those who wanted him to curse the Israelites. Of course, God said, no. But Balaam began to travel with them. An angel blocked the path and the donkey could not pass. Thinking the donkey was being belligerent, Balaam beat the animal and tried to move him forward. Yet, he did not move. Finally, the donkey spoke to his master; “Why are you beating me?“

Oddly enough, Balaam didn’t seem puzzled by the fact that his donkey was speaking. It is even more odd that Balaam responded to the animal!

The Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and all became clear: an angel was blocking the way.

I wonder how many times we lose it over something in which God is working behind the scenes. We spend our passions on some ‘great’ ideas and plans, but the Father keeps attempting to move us to better things or to save us from our stupidity.

As I mulled over today’s proverb, it occurred to me that ANY out-of-control negative emotion is detrimental. When I realize that the harmful thoughts are not going away and I’m not doing anything to stop them, I have crossed a line from good to bad.

Proverbs 27:3 warns that the victim of another person’s anger receives a heavier burden than an impossible heavy weight.

In my early marriage and with a houseful of kids, sadly, I was angry most of my waking days. To this day, I remember my husband’s face when I would explode. My emotions and how I dealt with them were a massive burden to him, not a bright blessing that I learned to become as the years went by.

Beware of uncontrollable passions that have more affect on others than you think. Children are watching. They actually learn from watching us (good things and bad). Everyone around us is watching and everyone feels the burden when we are unrestrained.

Last week, I carried a pile of heavy carpet up the stairs and almost lost my grip. I was huffing and puffing (and I’m in pretty good shape). It was unbearably hard! The rugs were too big for me to carry.

When we do not govern our emotions, a weighted item feels like a feather compared to our cruel, unreasonable and excessive responses. Nothing compares to the tongue-lashing of our foolish words. It is a sign that we don’t care about what we do or say.

We can tell a lot about ourselves by how we express our emotions during moments of tension. Sometimes, it shows a lack of trust in the Almighty God. Typically, once the venting has begun, it spreads its tentacles all over the place.

What we do and how we do it can be an oppressive burden to others. The time has come to slow down, take a good look at our hearts and ask what can be done to refuse the avalanche of volatile reactions.

Lord, help us to learn contentment, compassion, grace, patience, charity, gentleness and forgiveness. I pray for our hearts, actions and words to be as light as a feather, a blessed gift, not a troublesome burden. Show us the hurt we cause others and help us to make amends. None of us wants to dishonor your name, but we want to trust in your provision, even in our emotional state of mind. Teach us how to relay our feelings in brighter, healthier ways. That is such a gift to those around us. Lead us daily in this noble quest. In Jesus name, Amen.

The Blessed Wait

Isaiah 40:31 Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

I’ve heard it said that an eagle will teach its young to fly. Both parents guard the nest and take food to the young. At about 11-12 weeks, if the eaglets have not ventured forth, the parent eagle “stirs” or rocks the nest, tipping them out! The young eaglets flap about in panic, still new at flying. The parent eagle carefully watches, waiting for the critical moment. With wings spread wide, the eagle then swoops down underneath those babies and delivers them back to the security of the nest.

Ours is a God of powerful gentleness. Ours is a God whose timing is perfect. Like the parent eagle, He is sensitive to our needs. He knows when the nest has become too comfortable and needs a little stirring. He, too, watches carefully, and, as with spread wings, catches us up, bringing us to Himself. But He wants us to learn from our fluttering & flopping and to mature. He wants us to leave behind our helpless panic and learn to wait on Him. Then, with our eyes on our Father ‘eagle,’ we begin to know what it means to soar on eagle’s wings!

The trials in our lives can teach us how to fly. We may flutter around at first, but we will learn and grow if we keep our eyes on Jesus.

The verse says that those who ‘wait on the Lord’ will renew their strength. Waiting can be defined in many ways:

Looking for treasures in the trial
Sitting with God in the pain
Letting him carry me through it
Letting him build up energy in me to be able to soar above it

Energy is gained not from temporary distractions of the world, but by being carried on the solid wings of Christ and allowing Him to be the power by which I lunge forward and fly.

Waiting on the Lord renews my strength.

When I head out to go running, but haven’t run in several months, I have to build up stamina and strength. I don’t like to run. But running my goal-amount improves my health. At first my muscles are sore from being stretched and pushed. Once I’ve built up stamina I run without getting weary.

It’s the same with trials. I’ve lived long enough to know that trials come and go. They have such huge value in our lives if we let them. They hurt us in the deepest places of our souls where God can be discovered and leaned upon and where we can allow the pain to change us from the inside out, giving us wings to fly.

This week, I took some time to think about what renews me. God works through inspirational movies, books or sermons to reawaken my tired spirit. It’s like my perspective changes, in an instant, and in the exhausting trials, I’m ready to stop complaining and get on with my life in the way He leads me.

Today’s verse is a promise:

Those who wait…shall renew their strength
Shall mount up on wings like eagles
Shall run and not be weary
Shall walk and not faint

Wait means to believe and trust in God’s goodness no matter how bad things seem. Wait means to fix my eyes on Jesus and not on the problem. Wait means to be still. Wait means to stop being controlling, having an agenda, labeling ‘one outcome’ as the only thing to make me happy. Wait is believing in a big God who has a reason for asking me to obey Him in areas I would rather not, like: going the second mile, returning a blessing for a curse, being the first to give a kindness in a relationship of built up walls, speaking softly to one who is angry with me or praying for my enemies.

Notice on whom we are to wait: the Lord. Everything stops with Him. He is my all and all. He is my everything. He is the One I am waiting on during the trial.

In trials, I DO get overwhelmed and weary, but somehow, when I become still in His presence, my breath is restored, and I am able to go forward into another day, even, at times, in joy. His strength is enough.

Father, thank you, thank you for this awesome verse. It breaths life into my soul at a time when I so much need it. Teach me how to better wait on you. Keep my spirit calm, steady and steadfast. Move the mountains out of the way that stand before me. Be my God, and I declare with confidence that you alone are my Jehovah. Thank you for your care and for your saving wings that carry me through my trials. In Jesus name, Amen.

Drop the Matter

Proverbs 17:14 Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.

With only occasional setbacks, quarreling can become a thing of the past when we learn to follow verses like this and others like it: What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? (James 4:1)

Following these passages makes it possible to be set free from the need to argue.

Learning new habits of dropping the matter cleans out our ugly hearts and helps us to forgive people who offend and circumstances that disappoint.

What is a breach? It is an eruption, a crack or gap in a wall or dam that gets bigger and bigger over time, spewing out in great force it’s damage and destruction.

Spiritually the dam is a pile of unexpressed displeasing thoughts that have been held back a long time only to need one tiny rupture (irritating comment or action from another person) to be uncontrollably and unfairly let loose.

In this dilemma, is the answer to the problem to express all my thoughts as they happen so they won’t all back up inside me? Or is the answer to let some things go, like really go?

How do I sometimes unknowingly activate or launch a breach in the ‘dam?’

The foothold of the enemy starts in my mind when I allow myself to think whatever I want and use no self-control to take captive my thoughts (II Cor. 10:5). When the ‘last straw’ happens, all the thoughts come tumbling out, ready at the first sign of a breach. It even feels like the thoughts are looking for any excuse to come out of hiding!

How do I keep this dam of the mind intact, strong and peaceful (as shown in the photo above)? How do I keep the wall whole?

How do I “drop the matter?”

There has to be some sort of true letting go when the need to quarrel arrives in my brain. However, it’s not enough to remain quiet. I cannot expect some things to go away on their own. Some ‘matters’ will not and should not simply be ignored.

In my thoughts, before I bring up a topic of concern out loud, I pray about it. Then I carefully place it into more capable hands of the Almighty God. Before I even share my thoughts, I label it, once and for all, ‘resolved,’

After waiting on God’s timing, I speak with gentleness not anger to my counterpart. Expressing my thoughts in patient, kind ways, I listen to the spirit as He moves me to experience His fruit (love, joy, peace).

After that, since I’ve already left it resolved with God, I drop the matter and allow freedom to come into my heart. I am released from tension and strife.

Therefore, in order to keep my heart from negatively bursting at the seams, first of all, I daily go through a cleansing process. Have I repented of wrongs? Have I forgiven those who have offended me? Am I aware of the good around me to give thanks? Am I in the habit of praising God even in the hard times? Is there anything left over that hasn’t been addressed? Do these things need to be spoken or tossed? Am I praying to God for discernment?

Second, there are times when I get tired or moody and mindlessly speak my hurt. I am clearly in the wrong. When confronted, my tendency is to get defensive and angry and unleash all the ugliness of my soul (because I’m tired and cranky).

The happier way is to correct myself (explain my state of mind, apologize and reap the benefits of cleaning up my act and restoring my soul). Over time, I can better learn which fights are worth my time and energy and which ones are foolish, disruptive and nonessential to my life and well-being as well as to other’s.

Interestingly enough, there is another dynamic that could be the backdrop of everything I just shared.

I am under spiritual attack (or ‘we’ are).

The Bible says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph 6:12).

Sometimes the enemy bombards me, and I am led to believe his lies. As this happens, I know by now that in that struggle, I must quickly grab hold of God’s hand, who is more powerful than my enemy. I must keep going forward in love to those around me, not letting the dam be breached even by Satan himself.

If I were to verbally speak those enemy-thoughts led into my mind, much damage and destruction could happen.

Instead, I set myself to keep up the good deeds, doing the opposite of what the enemy speaks into my head.

For example: Over the years, God has helped me conquer some insecurities and fears. When I’m ‘under attack, ‘ the enemy hits those hot buttons with a vengeance, and I am made to believe that I am insecure again. I’m NOT. But I feel the struggle so deeply, I think things like: “This will always be a part of me. I will never get better. I want to quit because I’m not worthy to continue. I want to run away because that person did or said something hurtful (in reality, he or she is the same person they’ve always been, sometimes aggravating or frustrating, but the enemy exaggerates their actions or words in my mind, blowing it out of proportion). My mind convinces me to become distant and fed up, “I’m done!“

But, God is not done.

Perhaps, you would counsel me to speak my feelings. But, I’ve been there and done that so often (during a spiritual attack) that the recipients of my words look at me like I have two heads. They’re just being themselves. I’m the one who is out of line and making a big deal out of nothing (or better said, the enemy is running the show in my head).

These episodes last a few days in which I feel the battle or struggle, a battle that is most definitely about the principalities of darkness.

The issue isn’t a person or a hurt, but a power struggle between God and Satan and I’m in the middle!

I am being distracted to dwell on a lie, BECAUSE someone out there needs my prayers. Someone else needs me to be in the light of God’s will. That someone needs my prayers and encouragement, perhaps even the very person the enemy is lying about in my head.

My heaven-tactic against the spiritual attacks is to move toward people in love, to serve, give and ignore the enemy’s cries. It is vital, during these episodes, in ALL my relationships to go out of my way to be kind. I move forward as if the struggle isn’t going on. Extremely hard to accomplish, it feels impossible. But, with God, nothing is impossible!

The only way I can do this is by crying out to my Father who ALWAYS pulls me through. A few days pass and the thoughts are forgotten and gone. They leave as quickly as they came. My mind is sane again and at peace. When those same frustrations (used by the enemy to trip me up) happen again, my mind is not agitated or perplexed. I have made it through the storm without allowing the dam to be breached.

It is imperative for us all to come to recognize when the enemy is attacking us spiritually. He comes in the form of anger, hurt and pride, but he also shows up in illness and misfortune. He can even use the good in life to distract me from praying for a friend in need. I am still in the process of trying to understand spiritual attacks. I want to learn from the Jesus himself.

Matthew 4:1-11
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
The tempter came to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels, and they will lift you up in their hands, so you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Again, the devil showed him the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Father, forgive me for my wayward thoughts that overflow from my mouth. Show me the path to freedom by helping me to drop the matter. Help me to soar above the waves of this deeper ocean. When the enemy is near, put scripture in my mind to repeat back to the principalities of darkness. Keep my eyes on you, my Savior and friend, and help me to sustain the loving acts you place on my heart. I am thankful that I have a God who is over all these things. I open my lips and my arms to praise you. I kiss your feet, Lord Jesus and glorify your name. I love you so much, Lord and give my life to you. In Jesus name, Amen.

God in My Gut

…clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another…Forgive as the Lord forgave you…put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (Colossians 3:12-14 NIV).

Breakthroughs, when they happen, usually come unexpectedly. They cannot be summoned, pursued, or forced. They happen when a direct ray of light infiltrates a dark, hidden space inside a soft heart; and all at once fresh God-discoveries pierce through the darkness and become easier to comprehend. Eyes are abruptly opened and lives transform in greater spiritual perception than before.

The ‘space,’ now aware of its life-long struggle to remain independent of earthly competitors, actively makes room for the One who is LOVE himself; the brilliant, shimmering light who takes up his rightful residence as Lord of all.

As time goes by, however, the ‘honeymoon’ seems so quickly to be over. The fresh start transforms into the ‘mundane.’ The breakthrough becomes unexciting and outdated. In fact, the work begins now to feel impossible, wearying and dull.

Yet, the Bible says to put on inner clothing that is profoundly attractive. Such a task requires faith and trust in someone bigger than my weakness! When God (and nothing else) perfectly dwells in my gut, the inner attire naturally takes on beauty, and the result is compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness and love.

Since I don’t ever perfectly keep God in my center, my flesh tends to discourage compassion and love. My flesh prompts me to judge other people and see things in them unworthy of my love. Yet, if one was to define each quality, one would discover that the receiver doesn’t always earn compassion, kindness, or humility and rarely deserves gentleness, patience, or forgiveness.

Certainly, love isn’t always easy to give. Yet, learning this unconditional-type-love helps me to give God back His place in my center. And having God in my center, in turn, helps me to love His people more dearly.

The phrase unconditional or agape love means to look after the best interest of others. It is an act of the will, a commitment. There is no condition that would take the love away. [Please note: abusive situations must have professional help and aren’t included in this blog.] Unconditional love means loving when one doesn’t feel like loving or when the moment to love is inconvenient.

Sometimes the feelings line up with the actions of a heart at ease and ‘in love.’ Yet, unconditional love, many times, calls us within circumstances of weariness, bad days, or simply unlovable people. This love goes forth with deeper motivations than feelings. Love is work. We make the choice to love.

This love doesn’t mean that we don’t ask for what we want. It doesn’t ignore the other’s faults or turn a blind eye to their sins. It is in the best interest of others for us to set healthy boundaries with reasonable expectations and to correct and voice opinions when needed. Love is showing those closest to us how to love us better and not allow poor behaviors to continue.

However, the commitment to love remains the same, through the good and bad. When one person isn’t complying, unconditional love whispers in gentle tones, “The world hasn’t come to an end like you thought it would, and God has equipped you to return good even when you don’t get your way.”

Through the long years of a relationship, each person reveals his or her love-needs, but the awareness of being whole and intact as a child of God keeps both parties from demanding perfect satisfaction, which neither can provide.

We can graciously learn to come to a place of acceptance for the noncomplying decisions, unchanging traits, and choices of others. We can find fullness in God and choose to love despite what we think we lack.

Yet, love refuses to abandon hope that God can yet do wonderful things. And, love turns to God to bring complete healing to our wounds when other people’s apologies and right behaviors don’t quite mend our hearts.

Most times, God doesn’t answer our prayers the way we want, but we still love and serve Him. When His people don’t respond the way we want, we can love and serve them, too.

God shows unconditional love by not giving up on me and by pursuing and loving ME even when I am undeserving.

Unconditional love is illustrated all over the Bible. Not every situation calls for these specific actions. Yet, the following verses (and 1000 more) help us to think through our choices when we find ourselves tempted to withhold love.

“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1 NIV).
“A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense” (Proverbs 19:11 NIV).
“Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs” (Proverbs 10:12 NIV).
“If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles” (Matthew 5:41 NIV).
“…do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also” (Matthew 5:39 NIV).
“… in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but…to the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:3-4 NIV).
“Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought…” (Romans 12:3 NIV).
“So the last will be first, and the first will be last” (Matthew 20:16 NIV).

Now, let the thoughts from an old commentary further explain a few of these inner clothing qualities:

The Biblical Illustrator
“…a man’s disposition is the dress of his soul. You know the tone of spirit which distinguishes him from another…there is yet a certain tone and temper of mind which should belong to every child of God.”
“Forbearing and forgiving are meekness and long-suffering in exercise. A man may forbear and bite his lips till the blood comes rather than speak unkindly, but forgiveness is an entire wiping of enmity and irritation out of the heart.
Is this a type of character that the world admires? Is it not uncommonly like what most people call ‘a poor spiritless creature’? It was a new man emphatically, for the world had never seen anything like it; and it is a new man still. Christianity…has altered the perspective of the whole, and created a type of excellence in which the gentler virtues predominate, and the novelty of which is proved by the reluctance of men to recognize it….’Better is he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.'”
“’Over all these put on charity[love].’ This is like a…cloak, which is at once…useful. It completes our spiritual dress, and adds a general grace to the entire outfit. Further, all this is not to be merely ‘put on.’ There is a radical cause which should produce it all. This lies deep in the heart; and without it, the rest would be a cloak of hypocrisy.”
(end of quotes)

The ‘radical cause’ in the last paragraph comes from allowing God into the deepest places of our hearts so He can rule over our minds and actions!

Now, listen to a sweet story from the Bible; “When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, ‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.’ Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy” (Matt 8:1-3)

People with leprosy were considered unclean. No one would go near them, much less touch them. The disease of leprosy didn’t kill a person, but it gave them years of slow, lingering anguish. Back then, people thought that simply touching a leper was a risk to one’s own physical and emotional health. It would have felt like a huge sacrifice to do so.

Imagine the leprous man as he knelt before Jesus. Look into his eyes, not his misshapen face, hands, and feet. See past his ugliness. A real person was in there, somewhere. He was unfit, loathsome, and unclean;…probably grumpy, sick, and suffering much of the time; needy of touch, love, and kindness. The leper had been shunned for so long. He saw Jesus reach out his hand. Feel the emotional effects of being touched.

Touch has such power to bring comfort and healing, but Jesus went further. He healed the needy leper.

Who among us are the “lepers?” I’m not speaking of disease of body, but disease of soul: People who aren’t kind, who have little patience, and whose pride disfigures their faces. Look into their eyes, not their misshapen attitudes and character qualities. See past the ugliness. There is a real person in there, somewhere. They’ve been hurt or wounded for so long. Might the hand of Jesus reach out to these lepers through YOUR hand of compassion, humility, gentleness, and love? Everyone else responds to their deformities of disposition with loathing, frustration, or walking away for good.

The leper in our lives could be our mates. My husband and I, long ago, learned to love the leper in each other. For we all have him in us, at times.

Intentionally, come to notice the disdain and contempt we are capable of having toward our lepers. Notice how many years and decades can go by without recognizing what impact our own soul sickness has on our relationships.

The ‘leper’ may be a neighbor, a family member, someone who constantly frustrates us or a person who doesn’t ‘get’ us and our precious needs (I say ‘precious’ in a respectful tone).
Was Jesus ever so paralyzingly needy of being loved that he could no longer focus on his Father’s great work ahead? Do we agonize over our need to feel loved, more than over our sacrifice to spend our love on others?

Sometimes, the focus I give MY NEEDS are a huge distraction from God’s kingdom.

My gut, the inmost core of me, is a place of passionate hunger. The sign on the entryway, reads, “Reserved Only for the God of the Universe.” Yet, I convince myself to trample down the door with various other hungers: “I HAVE to be perfect,” “I HAVE to be approved by others,” “I HAVE to figure IT all out on my own,” “I HAVE to be loved in return in order to give love.”

These hungers grow in significance like a spreading infection. They contaminate the hallowed God-place of my spirit and in so doing, I become spiritually deformed and sick like the diseased leper.

If this is you, feel the touch, the kiss of the Lord, and His healing hand of love upon the hideous, inward spiritual lesions. Once touched, one is forever changed. Once touched, one can go out and touch others in Jesus’ name and forgive as Jesus forgives. One can love without loathing and without expecting much in return.

Wonderfully, within, now the gut has potential to be stirred in profound compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience for the lepers that kneel down and ask for healing. They may not ask in words or kneel in body, but their offensive actions are begging and pleading for the Lord’s touch, through you. Never forget the sickness you survived by His hand and how you were once in the leper’s place.

Not one of us is created with capabilities to come to the aid of EVERY leper that shows up at our doorsteps, but we know when God is prompting us to let Him in (our center) that we may clothe ourselves with whatever is needed for the person in front of us. The wearing of this attire is a labor of sorts that produces more children of God; it produces fruit.

In closing, I want to turn to another passage. The Bible says, “John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance….‘ (Matthew 3:4-8 NIV).

Truly, snakes don’t care about what devastation they leave in their wake. However, if I was one of the ‘vipers’ in this audience, and if I was convicted by John’s words, desiring Jesus to become Lord of my life, I would repent of my ‘viper’ sins. Yet, my repenting (my plan to change) wouldn’t really be repenting if I didn’t have a goal of producing fruit.
Fruit comes from being clothed in Christ-like garments. Fruit is produced when I care less about what “I” get in return and more about WHO dwells in my gut and what is He being asked of me now.

I am full of His bounteous blessings. I am overflowing with energy and time to give others who need His touch.

Matthew 10:8 says, “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.”

Father, give me a spirit-filled, uncluttered, and undivided heart of love for those you give me. Help me to pass onto them the sweetness of body and soul you breathe into me when I obey you. Sometimes, you will move me to express my own needs openly and clearly. Other times, you will focus me more on other’s needs. Either way, help me to wear the holy attire that is compassionate, kind, and humble. Clothe me in the noble, inward raiment fit for a daughter of The King. In Jesus name, Amen.