Category Archives: Devotional Musings

Daunting

Devotional Musings

Daunting

Standing at the foot of a cliff you are about to climb is daunting.

I’m an idealist. I love the challenge, and envision marvelous views from the summit. Yet when blisters throb, my legs turn to jelly, and I can’t catch my breath, I question the whole endeavor.

A hike isn’t the only place in life that presents challenges. Raising a family is daunting. Writing a novel is daunting. For many of us, even muddling through the day can be daunting.

I’m grateful that when we feel overwhelmed, God asks only for us to take the one, small, next step. Not only that, He walks beside us, guides us, speaks encouragement to our hearts.

Last weekend, my hubby and I had an early anniversary getaway “up north.” We love hiking sections of the Superior Trail. This hike beat me up. But I reached the top (and more importantly, reached the end of the trail where our car was parked). Whatever mountains you face today, trust our Savior. Strengthened by His love, take one more step forward. And take time to absorb the beauty around you. It might just take your mind off of the blisters.

With love from the trail,

Sharon Hinck

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Maundy Thursday – In His Steps

Devotional Musings,

Maundy Thursday

What is Maundy Thursday?

For my Christian brothers and sisters who follow the traditional church calendar, today is a special day with a strange name. As a child, I misheard “Maundy.” I always thought we were going to church for “Monday Thursday.”

“Maundy” comes from the word “command” or “mandate.” It reminds us to follow Jesus’ command to love one another. He demonstrated how to serve others throughout His life. On Maundy Thursday, He gave us an example by washing the disciples feet at His last supper with them before He went to the cross.

Following His Steps During Holy Week

Churches celebrate with worship, the Lord’s Supper, and some do a foot-washing ceremony. But we can also honor the day with acts of humble service and love for others. We could empty garbage even when it’s not our usual chore. We could fold laundry for another family member, or fill the car with gas, or wash the kitchen floor. Any task that coaxes us to put others above ourselves can be a reminder of how the King of Kings became a servant to save us, and how He gives us a new command to love one another.

Lord Jesus, thank you for walking the dusty roads of this world, for drawing close to us in all our human experiences, and for showing us how to serve by washing the disciples’ feet. Thank you even more for washing away our sins. Give us hearts to follow in your steps today. Amen.

Blessed Maundy Thursday!

Sharon Hinck

(This post first appeared on sharonhinck.com in March of 2016)

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The “Why” Behind the Choice

Devotional Musings

Why

This morning I got home from a doctor’s appointment exhausted. I’ve been faithfully hitting my word count goal each M-F to meet my next writing deadline. I’m even a little ahead of schedule. Since my body feels beaten up, it occurred to me to take the day off.

Anxiety immediately began twisting behind my ribs. I was afraid that if I missed a writing day, I’ll totally forget how to write.

Writing daily is a good plan for someone who feels called to write. But I realized I needed to look at the “Why” behind that choice. I want to write out of obedience, the joy of creating, the hope that something I write will bless another…not out of fear of losing skill or fear of being left behind if I don’t produce enough.

Jesus challenges us to go deeper – to look for reasons and motivations and not just our outer actions. For example, praying is a good thing. Yet He showed us that the Pharisee who used prayer as a way to boast and make himself look good was praying for the wrong motives. Or those who tithed their dill but didn’t care for their parents. Or disciples who pledged to follow, yet argued about who was the greatest.

We can do good things for the wrong reasons.

I’m learning to pause and think about my choices — when to be gentle with myself and when to push — and why I make those choices. Today I’m going to ask for the faith to trust that a day off will be healthy for me.

How about you? Are you pushing and striving out of a need to prove your worth (Psst! Here’s a secret: you are already worth SO MUCH to Jesus that He died for you.) Or are you stepping back from a challenge, feeling like you can’t make a difference anyway? (Jesus can make a huge difference through our small fish and loaves when we offer them.)

Whether we need to rest or need to advance, let’s ask Jesus to help us obey out of joy and trust.

Blessings!

Sharon Hinck

 

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Giving Thanks For You

Devotional Musings, Prayer

Giving Thanks

Giving Thanks…

Along with my other American friends, I’ve been inviting waves of gratitude to roll over me during this week of giving thanks. The truth that God loves me, apart from any efforts I could make to earn or bribe or manipulate that love, floods me with wonder. The dear people that inhabit my life–family friends–send tides of joy splashing inside my heart.

…For You

But today I want to take a moment to thank YOU….whether we have been close in “real life” or never met. I thank each person who reads my blog, who comments, or emails, or reassures me that the effort to create these occasional posts DOES matter.

I thank every person who has read one of my books, who entered that precious conversation between author and reader. Extra thanks to those who purchased the book (even though they could borrow it from a friend or find it in the library) because that investment helped the publishing house continue its efforts to bring stories into the world.

I thank each reader who took the time to post a review, tell a friend, or invite me to a book club to speak. You made a huge difference–not just in my morale, but in preventing the stories from fading into invisibility.

I’m hugely grateful to those of you who are Book Buddies – those who get my rare newsletter and often join in to contests, promotion events, or other activities to support my books.

And I’m giving thanks for your prayers. When I type another page, alone, exhausted, often feeling inadequate and fearful in the work, I’m bolstered by your prayer support.

Please feel free to share some of the things you are thankful for this week. I’d love to read your comments!

Blessings from a grateful heart,

Sharon Hinck

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Joy Comes in the Morning Glory

Devotional Musings

morning-glory“Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” — Psalm 30:5b (ESV)

This week I cried with a friend over the phone. She’s been hit hard by trial after trial. I also prayed with another friend as we acknowledged problems neither of us could solve and asked our Might Warrior to fight on our behalf.

In times of darkness, joy is as unexpected and fragile as this late-season Morning Glory that bloomed on my front porch today.

Yet joy does arrive. In small graces, in kind words, in powerful reminders. We are still in the hard part of the story where the conflict builds, danger looms, everything seems uncertain.

We know there will be a joyful ending one day…a full resolution and dream come true time.

But God doesn’t make us wait until that time.

As fall weather nears, this fragile flower hangs on to a bit of summer color, making me smile.

morning-glory2

Whatever dark night of the soul you are facing, I pray you will continue to hope for the morning of joy to come. BUT I also pray Jesus will remind you of His love with little surprising joys along the way.

Has something stirred your joy this week? Please share it in the comments!

Blessings,

Sharon Hinck

 

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Borders and Boundaries

Devotional Musings

boundariesToday I read about the borders and boundaries allotted to the tribes of Israel in Joshua 13-18. In the past, I’ve struggled to glean much application from the names of towns I’ve never visited, and landmarks I’ve never seen.

But today, one thing stood out. God has a plan and a specific place in mind for us. Could the limitations that seem to box me in be a gift from Him in some way?

Not an easy question to answer. Contentment can dangerously shift to complacency. There may be times God asks us to strive and push beyond a barrier. However, many times we miss out on joy by chafing against a boundary.

What is my allotment?

Discerning that is such a challenge. Here is my prayer for today:

Lord, give me a heart of contentment and trust, so that I may serve today and not waste time staring over the fence at the boundaries You’ve shaped for others. That You’ve even granted me life is a profound gift. That You’ve placed me in a specific time and place for a purpose is exciting. That You abide in this moment with me is breathtaking. I trust You to reveal the tasks You have in mind for me on this precise day and in my current location. Amen.

How about you? Have you noticed yourself looking over the boundaries at someone else’s life and calling? Have you felt wistful at the success of others? Has God ever granted you discernment about someplace new that He wants you? Please share a comment – it will bless the rest of us! And feel free to share this post using one of the handy buttons below. 🙂

Blessings,

Sharon Hinck

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Can We Trust God’s Timing?

Devotional Musings, Prayer,

TimingI’ve been reading Joshua this week – stories that many of us are familiar with. Rahab helping the spies escape, the walls of Jericho falling down. I love the drama and the tangible victories, especially when in my life progress feels much harder to see.

But today I focused on a very heartbreaking story. God told the Israelites to destroy everything from Jericho, but Achan admitted he, “saw a beautiful robe…silver coins, and a bar of gold…I wanted them so much that I took them.”

I identify with so much of his sad moral failing there. Seeing things I want and being tempted to grab for them. Not a robe or a bar of gold, but success, approval, popularity.

Achan’s choice led to not only his own destruction, but to the deaths of many soldiers who attacked Ai and failed. A sobering lesson indeed.

However, the new insight I found in the story comes in chapter 8. After Achan is dealt with, God tells Joshua to attack Ai again, and says, “This time you may keep the plunder.”

Wow. If Achan had only trusted God’s timing, treasures would have come his way anyway.

Can we trust God’s timing?

When our prayers seem to always be answered with “wait,” it’s tempting to forge ahead and decide to “make it happen” in our own power. Yet perhaps God has blessings for us in the waiting time. Perhaps He plans treasures around the next bend – if we can trust Him a little longer.

Will you pray with me?

Lord, there are things we long for. Some are dreams You’ve planted in us. Help us discern when its time to forge ahead, and when it’s time to wait. Help us trust You when Your calling for the moment seems to hold us back from treasures. Amen.

How about you? Have you ever spotted a blessing from God’s timing – even if it felt like a delay?

Please share in the comments below – and feel free to share this post using one of the handy buttons. 🙂

Blessings,

Sharon Hinck

 

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Remembering Beauty and Love

Devotional Musings

RememberingYesterday was a day of remembering violence and loss. I have vivid memories of watching the news as a second plane hit the Twin Towers.

When my heart aches at the cruelty and darkness in the world, it helps me to also remember beauty and love.

The pitcher in the photo was a gift from a dear friend that God brought into my life. The flowers are a gift from my garden. Both fill my heart with joy.

God created a world of infinite beauty. He also invited us to live in loving interaction with Him and each other.

Sin has marred the beauty and crippled our ability to love. But in Him we still catch glimpses of what was and will one day be again.

Can you remember one beautiful thing from the past week? Did anyone show love to you?

Please share your recent blessing in the comments!

Praying we all notice many reminders of God’s love this coming week!

His,

Sharon Hinck

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When Hope is Hard to Find

Devotional Musings

hopeYesterday friends and I were talking about hope.

There is a fragile sort  that is more like a wish. We wish our lives looked differently. We wish relationships were stronger. We wish our work found success. And when those things don’t happen, we wonder if hope was a mistake.

But there is another kind.

“We wait in hope for the Lord;
    he is our help and our shield.
 In him our hearts rejoice,
    for we trust in his holy name.
May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,
    even as we put our hope in you.” Psalm 33:20-22 (NIV)

That is a hope with a direction and focus. Hoping for someone else to change may lead to disappointment. Hoping for outcomes that look exactly the way we want may bring frustration. But placing solid, powerful trust in the truth that God is good, and will never stop loving us…that is a longing that never lets us down. Then we can watch Him bring grace into our lives, and be open to His answers looking different than we expect. Perhaps what we choose to dream for even begins to change.

(Lord, I admit I look for solutions in other places, often forgetting Your purposes. I expect others to swoop in and solve problems. Or I keep hoping I’ll be wise enough and strong enough on my own to beat every obstacle. But I need You. Today I lay my needs at Your feet, with joyful trust that You love me. Whatever unfolds, however the picture looks different from my wishes, I trust in Your goodness. Amen.)

Have you felt the pain of dashed hopes? What helps you at those times? Please feel free to share thoughts in the comments. Your thoughts may be just the encouragement someone else needs today.

Blessings!

Sharon Hinck

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Torn and Frayed

Devotional Musings

TornThis morning I woke convinced that my current WIP (Work-in-Progress) is too allegorical, too spiritually focused, not trendy and cutting-edge, and deserved to be torn to shreds. I decided I’m an out-dated dinosaur with nothing fresh to offer. The paper shredder called to me.

That’s not an uncommon impulse for a writer.

We often don’t have accurate views of our work. Sometimes our egos inflate the things we create to idol status. Other times our doubts and fears convince us our efforts are worthless.

Either way, I’m looking in the wrong direction.

Too much analysis of my skill (or lack of) or my popularity (or lack of) or my potential (or … you get it) simply keeps the focus on ME ME ME.

Art is meant to be a gift – with thought for others. Art exploring faith is meant to be an expression of relationship with God–with focus on Him.

So today I will stop groaning about my inadequacies. I’ll stop looking for approval for a skillfully penned sentence. I’ll stop chasing trends or fads. Instead, I’ll thank God for the stories He is writing in our lives. He can weave our ragged pieces together. Even when we feel torn and frayed, we can offer back what He’s given us and wait to see what He will do.

“I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” Psalm 16:8 (NIV)

Let’s not send ourselves or our work to the shredder. Instead, let’s pray.

Dear Lord, here are the crumpled pages of my life and my work. I offer them to you. Help me focus on You today. Please write Your story. Amen.

How about you? Do you feel torn or frayed lately? Do you ever notice your focus getting stuck in the wrong place? Feel free to share in the comments!

Sharon Hinck

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