Greetings! As you may have noticed, my website has a new look. I've switched platforms, and I'll work on getting some of those old blog posts reposted onto this one. However, for the time being, I'm planning to focus on new content.

The truth is, I'm not the same person I was ten years ago when I started blogging and writing books. I've experienced many life changes--the loss of my dad, the gaining of a son (a student who moved in with us in 2018), health issues, job changes, and becoming an empty nester as my two younger children went off to college. But as I've reflected over the past couple of months on all these changes, I've been able to connect the dots and trace back the ways that, in every valley, I can find clear evidence that God's promises are fulfilled and His mercies are new every morning.

This led me to a powerful thought. I've always leaned heavily on Lamentations 3:22-24, which says: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning; Great is your faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "therefore, I will hope in him."

Those who've followed me for the past several years (and thank you for your continued support!!!) have likely noticed my online inactivity. It's hard to explain, but following the loss of my dad, I've just been stuck. Intellectually, I KNOW that God's mercies were new every morning, but I was having a hard time seeing them. I didn't feel unloved or hopeless. It wasn't that there were no positive or happy moments in my life. I just felt trapped in the sorrow. Gradually, I've worked my way out of it, and I feel happy and productive again. But I keep thinking, why did I, someone who works very hard to be a faithful Christian, struggle so deeply?

This morning, when I reread that passage, my mind became fixed on the word "therefore." It's an adverb, meaning "for this reason." In past readings, I've always seen this as "his mercies never come to an end, therefore I will hope in Him." But that's not what it says.

The actual text says, "I will hope in Him" because He is my portion. For this reason, that is Him being my portion, I will hope in Him. That clarification brings a fearful thought. If the Lord is not my portion, how can I hope in Him?

This led to a question--what does it exactly mean for God to be my portion? I've explored this thought before, and it's led me to the following passages:

Deuteronomy 32:9, which says the Lord's portion is His people, and that Jacob is his allotted heritage.

Ecclesiastes 9:9, where it talks about one's wife being their "lot in life," which some translations give as portion

Psalm 16:5, which says, "the Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot."

There are others, but you get the general idea. The Lord being my portion means that He is the one who fulfills me. He is the one who sustains me. And from there, I realize that when I try to let worldly things be the things that sustain me, that's when I start to lose hope.

I think that I, like most people, waver in my commitment to let the Lord be my portion. I do great for a time, and the world slips in. I refocus, and then lose my focus again. I need to be sure to always draw my strength from His cup!

Here are three practical ways I can do that, and hopefully, they will help you as well!

1. Drink deeply from His Word. This means more than just reading a Bible verse every day. Just as a physical cup nourishes, Scripture feeds the soul. Just as shallow calories have no nutritional benefit, a quick glance at a Bible passage does not convict and change the heart. More than just reading, we need to memorize, meditate, and reflect on our own lives. Consider Psalm 119:100-105:

   
   

"I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts. I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word. I do not turn aside from your rules, for you have taught me. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through your precepts I get understanding;  therefore, I hate every false way.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

2. Rely on Prayer for Refreshment. The irony of this statement is that we gain refreshment through prayer, not by drinking in, but by pouring out. We can pour out our confession of our sin and weakness. We can pour out our sorrows. When we do this, we can bank on His promise that the Spirit intercedes for us, as we are told in Romans 8:26.

   
   

3. Share His Cup with Others. Scripture teaches in several places that we can renew and refresh our own spirits by encouraging others. Consider Proverbs 11:25, which says, "Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered." Another example is Luke 6:37-38. Many get caught in the first part of this passage, which says, "Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven," but miss the part where it tells us to "give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you."