Finding Hope: Psalm 62:5

Hope is everything in a world full of chaos. And I trust in God that his love will flow through the world. I hope that people will feel the love and receive it, sharing kindness and blessings. I hope that it will heal all wounds, and bring fresh waves of kindness and mercy towards our fellow humans. I have hope that things will get better, even if only in my own small corner of the world, and if I can make a difference here, maybe that kindness will spread, that hope will spread, and people will be more joyful, friendly, and forgiving of one another.

Faith - Matthew 21:21

That doesn’t mean everything in life will be easy, with rainbows and unicorns every day. It means that when things get really tough, my faith carries me through. It means that when things are really good, I have faith that I can thank someone for watching over me. It means that when things are complicated, I can take time to pause, pray, and have faith that things will get better.

Growing Up Without Religion

Growing up as a kid in a household that didn’t go to church, the only training I received about Christianity were the Davey and Goliath Easter specials or when Linus would read the passage from Luke in the Charlie Brown Christmas special. Religion wasn’t a focus for us.

In Grade 3 we were given a copy of the Gideon’s New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs. I remember the little red book; it was like a rite of passage, because I got one like my sister did when she was in that grade. I’m pretty sure they stopped doing that not long afterwards, probably around the same time they also stopped saying the Lord’s Prayer in school.

So really, when I was growing up, the only comparison to God we had was Santa Claus. Don’t take that sacrilegiously or anything, we were kids, and that’s the closest we could think of. Here was someone who could see what you did all year, knew whether you were being good or bad even though you couldn’t see them, and if you were good rewarded you with something you wanted. I suppose that is a pretty simple comparison, easy enough for a child to understand. There would be talk on the playground of those who did and didn’t believe in Santa, and often those who did believe had to keep it quiet.

devotional, faith, encouragement, hopeJackie ScottMarch 24, 2025faith, Christmas Faith, faith journey, God's Love

The Woman at the Well

If it wasn’t for this testimony in John 4 about the Woman at the Well, I likely wouldn’t be writing this devotional. I likely wouldn’t consider myself saved at all.

How could someone like me, who fell for every lie that was told to her, who denied her true self to believe the lies of others, be worthy of saving? Not that I thought I needed anyone to save me — I could save myself! What did I need anyone else for?

That is what I thought until I read this story, where Jesus sat in in the heat of the noon day sun beside a well in Samaria. He was there alone while the disciples went to go find some food. He sat and waited for someone he knew would be there.

The Woman at the Well.

Turning to Prayer When Fear Seeps In

What do we do when fear seeps into our lives?

It can be such a tricky foe. Sometimes it’s quiet and subtle, like if you’re afraid of spiders and you see a spider as you walk into a room. It’s something that’s there, that we have to confront (or get the next nearest human to dispose of it for us.) The same with fears of snakes, moths, or other creatures. Those kinds of fears are normal and confrontable, if still a bit inconvenient. We see something we are afraid of, we come up with a solution, and we move forward (or around) them.

Things I've Learned from Christmas and Holiday Movies

This time of year can be difficult for many people. There are struggles of loneliness, depression, feelings of not having enough or not being enough to others. The advertising around the holidays often show “perfect” families with “perfect” dinners in “perfect” settings, and that is not the reality for most of the world.

encouragement, devotional, faith, hopeJackie ScottDecember 25, 2024Christmas, Christmas Faith, Hope in Christ, Hope, Faith, Worthy, Loved, God's Love

Reaping the Joys (and Tears) of Quilting

This verse is a reference to sowing seeds for farming; the hardship of whether the seeds will sprout, what the weather will do, whether insects or disease will blight the crop. There is much to stress and worry about and only so much you can do, so you need to have a lot of faith. But come harvest time, there is joy. Few of us farm these days so we may have lost touch with this Psalm, but it still has relevance.

Like I mentioned above, you could apply the same to quilting or other types of creative activity. When you’re quilting there’s all kinds of areas that things can go wrong:

creativity, Quilting, tips, hope, devotionalJackie ScottDecember 23, 2024encouragement, quilting, overcoming mistakes, progress not perfectionComment

Anxiety and Me

I was in an intense “cat-like state of readiness” no matter what the situation: when sitting at home, when getting ready to go to work, at work (that was the worst, because I had no control over what happened or when), and even when trying to go to sleep. If you’ve ever experienced any kind of anxiety, you’ll understand the feeling. If you haven’t, I’m glad you have been spared that, and pray you are always blessed to never experience it.

God is Running After Us

We spend so much of our time running from God, running away from the blessings he’s given us, running away from the guidance he’s provided us, because we’ve done such a good job at twisting his message. People take his love, his grace, his mercy, his goodness, and twist it into something they use to take power, privilege, money, and fame.

Not all people have done that, but too many have, and too many have shattered the lives of innocent people, making them fearful and angry at anything that has God’s message attached to it.

God’s running after us, because as humans, we keep messing up.

Encouragement

Sometimes you just need that extra bit of encouragement. Okay, not necessarily a sword, but someone encouraging you that you've got the tools to take the next step and continue your journey, whatever that may be.

Peaceful Adventures

There is something blissfully peaceful about a cat napping. It's like they've perfected the art of contentment and rest, enjoying the moment, not worrying about the next thing to come. Where do you find moments of peace in your life?

Is it catching a quick nap through a busy day? Or taking a quiet walk in the woods?

Excerpt 3 from 21 Days of Encouragement

This is a continuation of yesterday’s verse about not worrying about anything, but praying about everything. “God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.” Or “The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (NIV)

book excerpts, devotional, encouragementJackie ScottSeptember 30, 2024encouragement, spiritual encouragement, inspiration, daily devotionalsComment

Excerpt 2 from 21 Days of Encouragement

Why wouldn’t everything be possible with God? He created the universe and everything in it. Everything from stardust to molecules, to the smallest specs of minuscule particulates to the largest planets and vast galaxies. Why would anything be impossible for him? So, why do we limit what he can do through us?

encouragement, devotional, book excerptsJackie ScottSeptember 23, 2024faith journey, daily devotionals, encouragement, spiritual encouragementComment

Excerpt 1 from 21 Days of Encouragement:

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.

Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you.

I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

Fear and discouragement often go together. It is so much easier to be discouraged when we feel afraid. It is so much easier to be afraid when we are discouraged. It’s kind of like bacon and eggs, Laurel and Hardy, peanut butter and jam, or any other pairing here that makes sense to you.