Do you consider yourself moody? Are you someone who fluctuates like the choppy ocean, rising and falling as the tides change? Or instead, are you unchanging like a calm sea, flat with hardly any movement? While it is true that some of us are choppy oceans and others of us are calm seas, it is also true that we all have some degree of mood swings. Our mood swings are primarily driven by our changing circumstances.

Our contentment also fluctuates with our mood. Contentment is different than happiness. Happiness is simply a momentary experience whereas contentment is a long-lasting feeling accompanied by peacefulness and satisfaction. When our circumstances are favorable, we tend to be content, but as soon as life does not go our way, contentment often turns to discomfort, that feeling of being unsettled and restless. Our mood drops.

Contentment that comes from people or things only lasts as long those people or things are good to us and for us. Those ever-changing mood swings seem unavoidable. But one of the many benefits of having a real relationship with Jesus is that we do not have to live that way. No matter how crazy that sounds, it is possible. We can learn to be content in all things.

The apostle Paul wrote that he had a thorn in his flesh. I do not think that Paul literally meant a sharp-pointed part of a plant had penetrated his skin, causing pain. Instead, I believe Paul was saying that he had some sort of affliction, one he does not describe in any detail other than to say it was a thorn. He pleaded with God three times for this affliction to be removed, but God failed to remove it and said this to Paul – “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9a).

Not the answer Paul probably wanted to hear. Not the answer we want either when we take our afflictions, our struggles, our crappy life circumstances, our discontent, to God. But look how Paul responds – “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9b-10).

I believe Paul was saying to himself, and to you and me, to rely on God’s wisdom and strength in our times of discontent, dark moods, sufferings, thorns. It comes down to submitting our circumstances to God and trusting that He is working out his plan in and through them.

In Romans, Paul also tells us this – “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-5).

Rejoice in my sufferings, you have got to be kidding me. The Greek word used here for rejoice is not our modern understanding of the word, to show great joy or delight. Instead, it is pointing to a confidence that we can have, knowing that God is able to use our unfavorable circumstances to help us mature in our faith, making us more like Jesus.

So, when you find yourself with unfavorable circumstances, submit it to the Lord and trust that He is helping you grow in the contentment that only comes from Him. It would sure be nice if it was voilà, and just like that, perfect holy contentment forever. But I have not experienced it like that. It is a journey. The more I submit and trust, the more lasting contentment I find, even in this discontented world in which we live.   

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Do you find yourself in a situation that has you feeling dry and dehydrated? A job that has unrealistic demands. An aging parent that requires constant care. You or a loved one with an ongoing health issue. The death of a spouse that created a crater-sized hole in your soul. An addiction. Finances. You feel exhausted. You feel lost. You might have even lost a sense of who you are. The joy of life is only wishful thinking. Whether or not you find yourself in one of those situations, maybe today you are desperately in need of a drink of refreshing “water” to quench your thirst.

Dehydration is the absence of sufficient fluid (water) in our body. It occurs when we lose more fluid than we take in. We usually associate dehydration with excessive heat, but cold air can also lead to dehydration. When our body is dehydrated, it cannot function properly and serious health problems occur. Severe dehydration (15-25% loss of body water) can even lead to death. Some symptoms of dehydration are headaches, dizziness, tiredness, lack of appetite, flushed skin, high heart rate but low blood pressure, dark-colored urine.

Life, even when things are not necessarily hard, has a way of leaving our soul feeling dehydrated. Soul (spiritual) dehydration tends to leave us feeling fatigued; lonely; irritable; filling our lives with busyness or noise, often simply to “hide” the empty feeling; and restlessness, having a decreasing sense of peace.

There are a number of things we can change, begin doing, or stop doing, to hydrate our soul. But, for me, in those times of dehydration, before anything else works, I first need to take Jesus up on his invitation to come and drink – On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.”

The invitation to drink comes freely to us, every time we need a drink. In Isaiah 55, the prophet describes the invitation of God to receive, among other things, restoration. We find these words in the first two verses – “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.”

And near the end of the Bible, in Revelation 22:17, we are invited to “drink freely from the water of life.” 

Today, when you feel dehydrated, when you are physically thirsty, get yourself a glass of cold water and drink from it. And when your soul is thirsty, take Jesus up on His invitation, then drink and drink and drink from His cool and refreshing spring. It is at that peaceful stream that you will find life-giving hydration! 

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President Harry Truman had a sign on his desk with “The buck stops here” inscribed on it. And maybe just to remind himself, “I’m from Missouri” was inscribed on the reverse side. What President Truman meant by “the buck stops here” is that he was willing to take ultimate responsibility for the decisions and actions of his administration.

It is commonly thought that “pass the buck” originated with the game of poker? In the early frontier days, a buckhorn-handled knife was often used to indicate whose turn it was to deal. If that person did not wish to deal the next hand, they could simply “pass” the buck. Sadly, in today’s culture, and let’s be honest, all throughout history, the “buck” gets passed all the time. We are quick to evade responsibility and “pass” it to someone else. We blame others for our own decisions and mistakes. Very simply, “It’s not my fault.”

And in the Bible, there are also accounts of passing the buck. In Genesis, after both Adam and Eve ate the apple, what was their response? First, Adam blamed Eve by saying, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” and then Eve pointed the finger at the serpent, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate. Pilate tried to absolve himself of any responsibility in the killing of Jesus. In Matthew 27:24 we read, “When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood,’ he said. “It is your responsibility!’”

No matter the outcome, no matter what the consequences might be, we are called to take responsibility for our own actions, to carry our own load. In Galatians 6:5 we find, “For each will have to bear his own load.” The Greek word used here for load is phortion. This word was often associated with a soldier’s backpack, something that must be carried by each soldier individually, their own responsibility, and not transferrable to someone else.

If you know that section of scripture, you might now be confused. In v.2, Paul instructs us to carry each other’s burdens. So, isn’t v.5 contradicting v.2? I do not believe it does. The Greek word for burden (load) in v.2 is different than found in v.5. In v.2, the word is barē, which is a load of extreme weight, too heavy for one person to carry by themselves.

It is God’s will for us to have personal integrity, and we are told in Scripture that what we ask in His name, according to His plans and purposes, will be given to us. Jesus, in his final marching orders to His followers, said these words in John 14:13 – “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” So, we need to humble ourselves and ask for God’s help in living a holy life, which includes taking responsibility for our own actions or inactions.

Are you willing to say “The buck stops here” when the situation warrants you saying that? We all at times have passed the buck, shifted blame to others. That is just the reality of our sinful human condition. But today, right now, you can ask God to forgive those sinful moments and for strength and courage to always bear your own load, even when the consequences of bearing that load are heavy.

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Today you may be facing a situation that you just do not understand. You find yourself wondering, “What in the world is going on?” Maybe you are even asking, “God, why is this happening?” or “God, when will it end?” It is easy to trust God when He answers our prayers right away but often not so easy when He seems to be delaying in answering. We are told in scripture to “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him” (Psalm 37:7a).

The Bible makes it clear that we are to trust God, even when we do not understand or circumstances, or for that matter, like our circumstances. Picture yourself standing in complete darkness in the middle of the night trusting that at dawn the sun will come up and the sky will soon shine brightly. In Proverbs 4:18 we read that very thing, “But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day.”  

I offer you the following poem, taken from “Streams in the Desert: 366 Daily Devotional Readings (October 23),” compiled by L.B. Cowman and edited by James Reimann. 

When the frosts are in the valley,

And the mountaintops are gray,

And the choicest blooms are blighted,

And the blossoms die away,

A loving Father whispers,

“This all comes from my hand”;

Blessed are you if you trust when you cannot understand.

If, after years of toiling,

Your wealth should fly away

And leave your hands all empty,

And your hair is turning gray,

Remember then your Father

Owns all the sea and land;

Blessed are you if you trust when you cannot understand.

The prophet Isaiah, in foretelling the restoration of Israel, said this, “But Zion said, The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me. Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me” (Isaiah 49:14-16). At the time of the return from exile, the Holy City would be in ruins and the walls around the city would no longer exist. But the Lord assures his people that he has not forgotten them by illustrating that his love is greater even than a mother’s love for her child.  

So, today, even if current your circumstances make no sense, trust that you are engraved on the hands of God – “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6).”

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After a long day, a full day, you probably find yourself tired, out of energy, and ready for a good night’s sleep. And the older we become, while our minds tell us “yes” our bodies often say “no.” Not only do our daily routines wear us out, we also at times face life situations that use up all our energy. It could be those three teenage kids in your household or caring for an aging parent. You might be battling cancer. Maybe you are considering big changes in your life and just the thought of those changes is exhausting. Or maybe the pile of past due bills just keeps piling up.   

I think back to my football playing days. In the midst of preseason camp and near the end of most seasons, when my body was bruised and battered, there was times when I just wanted to quit. Even the most finely tuned athletes get to a point where the journey seems all uphill.

If you watch college football, you have seen players hold up four fingers at the end of the third quarter, indicating “the fourth quarter is ours.” The legendary University of Alabama football coach, Paul “Bear” Bryant, started this long before anyone heard about it. Coach Bryant, known for his extremely hard practices, wanted his team to be better conditioned and better prepared than their opponents. Near the end of practice, he would raise four fingers, telling his players that their top notch conditioning would help them in the end of games, when the opposing team was worn down. In fact, one of The Bear’s best known quotes is this – “I make my practices real hard because if a player is a quitter, I want him to quit in practice, not in a game.”

You have been there, right? That moment your body is faint and your spirit is weary. It could be a sudden unexpected event or maybe just week after week of grinding that has worn you down. There are any number of ways we can find rest, many of which are healthy and beneficial ways to re-charge. But whatever you do to find rest, do you agree, it just does not last. Tomorrow is another day, full of more energy-draining events and activities.

It is easy to get worn down, both physically and emotionally. God promises that if we trust in Him, he will give us the rest and rejuvenation we need, day after day. Here is what we find in Isaiah 40:29-31 – “He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint” (NLT).

So, today, trust in the Lord, and raise four fingers, telling the world (and reminding yourself) that because of Jesus you have what you need to keep on keeping on!

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One of my favorite things to do as a young child was help my grandma make apple cider. We would go out into her orchard and fill a wooden basket with apples. After we washed the apples in a sink in the basement, we would head upstairs to the kitchen where a wooden apple press awaited us. Grandma let me help her fill the round hopper with apples. I then watched with wide open eyes as she turned the crank, causing the pressing disk to slowly crush the apples, squeezing the juice into the tub below. Grandma always let me have a few turns of the crank, but it was hard work for a little boy. With a smile and a pat on my behind, she always told me I did a good job.

This went on for what seemed like hours, but time seemed to stand still as I helped Grandma make apple cider. Once all apples had been squeezed, and after we cleaned up the cider press, the best part was yet to come – Grandma poured me a glass of cider as I sat on her lap. To this day, I do not know which I liked better, sitting on her lap, or tasting the cider.

The apples got put under tremendous pressure, pressed and squeezed, turning their once roundness and red color into a pile of pulpy residue, called pomace. But as a result of the pressure exerted upon the apples, delicious juice was extracted. From a little boy’s point of view, what was left in the hopper sure didn’t look like apples anymore. But this pomace, it did not go to waste. We fed it to the hogs. And in today’s commercial apple juice processing, pomace is the major by-product, a good source of antioxidants and dietary fiber. And for your sweet tooth, apple pomace powder is used in the production of toffee.

How often do you feel like one of those apples? You know, those moments when life is pressing in on you and you wonder if the pressure is more than you can endure. You cry out to God, begging, pleading, maybe even deal-making. You sense hopelessness and despair.

In the fourth chapter of Second Corinthians, the apostle Paul bares his soul regarding his struggles, his pain of being pressed and squeezed, But, in the midst of despair, Paul finds strength in Jesus. In vv. 8-9 we read these hopeful words – “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”

Those words are hopeful because in your pain Jesus reveals Himself to you. Those words are hopeful because through your pain Jesus is refining you. Those words are hopeful because out of your pain Jesus can bring sweetness.

Those words are hopeful, because in, through, and out of, our pain, we are being made more like Jesus – “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way” (James 1:2-4, MSG).

So, no matter how pressed in, pressed on, pressed under you feel, know that God is using your circumstances to make something beautiful, something majestic, something delicious, in you, like the sweet taste of my grandma’s freshly squeezed apple cider.

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